October 2, 2008
Politics:
Cabinet of Ministers discusses 2009 budget
Co-operation in fight against terrorism theme of OSCE workshop in Tashkent
Economics:
Central Asian Industrial Week opens in Tashkent
Polish trade-economic mission to visit Uzbekistan
Huawei completes modernization of Uzbektelecom
DED & Commerce Chamber to develop regional structures
Young energy specialists forum held
Society:
Virtual Silk Road project’s council meets in Tashkent
Uzbekistan marks Teachers’ Day
Women’s tennis tournament "Tashkent open" starts
POLICY
CABINET OF MINISTERS DISCUSSES 2009 BUDGET
The Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan held a session on 30 September to consider the forecast of macroeconomic indicators, main directions of tax and budget policy and the draft state budget for 2009, National news Agency UzA reported.
The session participants noted that the country’s tax and budget policy was aimed at stimulating development and modernization of the economy, gradual reduction of the tax burden on the economic entities and the population, supporting small business and private entrepreneurship, improvement of the investment climate and business environment.
The heads of ministries, departments, economic associations and hokimiyats that spoke at the session touched upon issues of maintaining high economic growth rates, increasing the competitiveness of the local enterprises, supporting small and private businesses, ensuring further growth of incomes of the population and improvement of the tax administration.
The proposals of the Ministry of economy and the Ministry of finance on the main macroeconomic indicators for 2009 were considered and supported. The main directions of the tax policy envisage easing the tax burden, mainly for the enterprises in the real sector, small business and private entrepreneurship, as well as for the income of the people through improvement of the taxation system and reduction of the tax rate for incomes of individuals.
It was noted that the draft of the 2009 state budget envisaged increase of the expenses for the social sphere and social support of the population.
To reach the task set by President Islam Karimov’s to raise salaries 2.5 times by 2010, the state budget envisages allocation of the required budget assignations ensuring increase of the salaries, pensions, stipends and social allowances.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the forecast of the macroeconomic indicators, the main directions of tax and budget policy and the draft state budget for 2009. They will now be sent to the Legislative Chamber for consideration.
CO-OPERATION IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM THEME OF OSCE WORKSHOP IN TASHKENT
Fostering co-operation among police and other agencies in Central Asia is the purpose of a regional OSCE workshop that started in Tashkent on September 29.
During the two-day meeting, more than 75 experts and policy-makers from Law Enforcement and Security agencies from 14 countries and six international and regional organizations discussed how to improve co-operation in the Central Asia region to better prevent, investigate and respond to terrorist attacks. The meeting is organized by the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit, in co-operation with the OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, Uzreport Information portal reported.
"This meeting helps participants better understand the roles and responsibilities of the different institutions in relation to fighting terrorism," said Kevin Carty, the Senior Police Adviser to the OSCE Secretary General. "We hope this will spark the creation of networks and lasting co-operation."
Participants also will share experiences and best practices in information exchange and intelligence sharing, national and regional co-operation, post-attack co-ordination and judicial investigation.
The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, Ambassador Istvan Venczel, added: "This event is taking place in the spirit of OSCE Charter on Preventing and Combating Terrorism, which calls on all participating States and their relevant agencies to work together to prevent, suppress, investigate and prosecute terrorist acts, including through increased co-operation."
ECONOMY
CENTRAL ASIAN INDUSTRIAL WEEK OPENS IN TASHKENT
International specialized forum "Central Asian Industrial Week" opens at UzExpoCenter in Tashkent on October 2.
Central Asian Industrial Week unites four specialized exhibitions - MiningWorld Uzbekistan 2008, ChemPlastAsia Uzbekistan 2008, PromUpak Uzbekistan 2008 and Machinery Central Asia 2008 – and separate exposition Industrial Electronics&Security Systems. ITE Uzbekistan, international exhibition company, and its partner I.T.E. Exhibitions & Conferences Ltd. (UK) are organizers of the project. The forum, which ends on 4 October, is the first similar event in Uzbekistan. Over 60 companies from 13 countries will participate in the event. Central Asian Industrial Week will become the largest exhibition project in Uzbekistan. The visitors of the exhibitions can acquaint with latest industrial equipment, technologies, know-how and exchange experience with the foreign colleagues, according to Uzreport Information portal.
The organizers forecasted that the forum will help to improve strengthening of positive investment image of Uzbekistan and become the key event in creation of favourable investment climate in the country.
POLISH TRADE-ECONOMIC MISSION TO VISIT UZBEKISTAN
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan in cooperation with the Agency on Entrepreneurship Development of Poland and organizational support of SSP-Expocontact will organize a visit of representatives of Polish textile companies to Uzbekistan on 14-18 October.
The visit is organized to increase direct foreign investments in textile industry of Uzbekistan and within the realization of the programme on attraction of foreign investments in textile industry in 2005-2008. The visit of Polish businesses is logic continuation of the visit of the Uzbek businesses to Poland, which took place in 2007.
During the visit to Poland, the Uzbek delegation attended Poznan Fashion Days, Polish businesses, and hold bilateral negotiations with the Polish textile businesses. Polish trade-economic mission will include representatives of largest enterprises and exporters of ready textile and silk products. The Polish side is interested to study investment opportunities into light industry of Uzbekistan.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan said that the agenda of the visit is rich and includes visit to textile enterprises in Tashkent, cooperation exchange between Uzbek and Polish businesses, as well as they will participate at TextileExpo-2008.
HUAWEI COMPLETES MODERNIZATION OF UZBEKTELECOM
Chinese Huawei Technologies Ñî completed realization of the project on development and modernization of telecommunication network of Uzbektelecom, national telecommunication operator of Uzbekistan, with the total cost of US$21.2 million, Jamol Mahsudov, deputy director-general of Uzbektelecom, told journalists, Uzreport Business Information portal reported.
He said that the equipment were fully installed and are working in test mode and soon they will be used fully. The Chinese company, in line with the contract signed in 2007, supplied and assembled 70 base stations with the capacity of 40,000 numbers for expansion of CDMA-450 mobile network of Uzbektelecom Mobile, mobile branch of Uzbektelecom. Telecommunication transport and switching networks in nine regions of Uzbekistan have been reconstructed and Tashkent telecommunication network was modernized, ComNews reported. China Development Bank financed the project due to US$15.5 million credit and resources of Alokabank (US$2.7 million), as well as own resources of Uzbektelecom.
Earlier, Huawei reconstructed automatic switching stations in Tashkent with the total cost of US$3.3 million. The company installed digital electronic equipment with the capacity of 25,000 numbers. In 2005, the Chinese company realized a project on reconstruction of 10 automatic switching stations in Tashkent with the total capacity of 100,000 ports. The cost of the project was US$4 million. In early 2007, Huawei completed project on reconstruction of telecommunication network of Uzbektelecom with total cost of US$12.5 million. Within the project, the analogue telephone stations were replaced with digital ones with total capacity of 250,000 numbers in seven regions of Uzbekistan.
DED & COMMERCE CHAMBER TO DEVELOP REGIONAL STRUCTURES
German Development Service (Deutscher Entwicklungsdients, DED) is helping the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan to develop its regional branches. Uta Horn, resident representative of DED in Central Asia, said that the German service is implementing several projects in Uzbekistan, two of which in Tashkent and others in Karshi, Samarkand, Kagan and Khiva. She said that the DED and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan are realizing project "Organizational development of regional chambers", where the German side is assisting to develop services. During the two year project, it is planned to adapt consulting, information and training services of the Uzbek chamber to needs of small and medium businesses to boost their economic power and improve their status, as well as sustainability.
The project focuses on consulting regional chambers and their centers on information and services in Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya regions (phase one) and Khorezm and Karakalpakstan (phase 2).
The German Development Service is one of the leading European development services for personnel cooperation. It was founded in 1963: since then more than 15 000 development workers have committed themselves to improve the living conditions of people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Almost 1 000 development workers are currently working in 45 countries. Their aims are to fight poverty, promote a self-determined, sustainable development and to preserve natural resources. The German Development Service also offers its services to international clients. DED works in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the Central Asian region. The service focuses on practical cooperation to improve living standards of people and societies in the region.
YOUNG ENERGY SPECIALISTS FORUM HELD
Uzbekenergo state joint-stock company held a regional conference in Bukhara with participation of representatives of power networks of Jizzakh, Navoi, Bukhara and Syrdarya regions, as well as Central and Southern power systems, UzA reported.
Today, about 60,000 people are employed in the power system. Of them, 18% are young people under 28, and more than 4,500 have a higher education. Young professionals play an important role in development of the energy sector.
The enterprises of Uzbekenergo currently produce 50 billion KWh of energy per year.
The conference participants considered issues of energy saving and rational use of energy.
SOCIETY
VIRTUAL SILK ROAD PROJECT’S COUNCIL MEETS IN TASHKENT
The regular meeting of the council of the NATO’s Virtual Silk Road project started in Tashkent on October 1.
The event has been organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan and NATO Science Committee. Professionals, experts and scholars from Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Britain, the Netherlands, Belarus, Norway, Hungary, Turkey and Armenia are taking part in the session.
Opening the meeting, President of the Academy of Sciences Shavkat Salikhov said that in Uzbekistan telecommunications and information technologies were being intensively introduced in all spheres.
In the framework of the Virtual Silk Road project Uzbekistan is involved in the creation of the scientific network of Central Asia and the Caucasus. With this purpose, the UzSciNet network was created in the country. It contains information related to science and culture of Uzbekistan and assists in preparation of specialists in the IT field.
During the two-day meeting, issues of multilateral cooperation in the framework of the Virtual Silk Road project, as well as intensifying the exchange of experience and information will be considered.
UZBEKISTAN MARKS TEACHERS’ DAY
For several years now, Uzbekistan has celebrated 1 October as the Day of Teachers and Mentors.
These days, various events, conferences and meetings devoted to the national holiday are being held across the country.
On the eve of the holiday, a group of teachers from all regions of the country, visited the Independence Square and laid flowers at the Monument of Independence and Humanism, which is a symbol of freedom, bright future and noble aspirations.
They familiarized themselves with reforms in general secondary, specialized secondary, professional education, higher education. The teachers visited schools, colleges, universities, museums, cultural and educational institutions, arts palaces.
On 29 September a solemn meeting devoted to the Teachers’ Day was held at the Turkiston Palace in Tashkent. Representatives of various ministries and departments, leading educators were invited on this occasion.
The State Adviser to the President H.Sultanov read the congratulatory message of the head of the state to the teachers of the country.
In accordance with the President’s decree of 29 September, a group of workers of education were awarded with the highest awards of the country.
Chairman of the Senate I.Sabirov, Speaker of the Legislative Chamber D.Toshmuhamedova, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Sh. Mirziyoyev and mayor of Tashkent city A.Tukhtayev participated in the ceremony.
WOMEN’S TENNIS TOURNAMENT "TASHKENT OPEN" STARTS
Traditional international tennis tournament of women “Tashkent open” started in the Republican Tennis School of Olympic Reserve, Uza reported.
At the opening ceremony, it was noted that special attention is given by the President Islam Karimov to the development of sports and in particularly of tennis as an important field by forming, throughout the country, the necessary conditions for the spread of this sport, education of talented young athletes of a big racket.
The decree by the head of state from 29 April 2008 “On establishment of the Republican school of Olympic reserve of tennis” has scheduled tasks to create the necessary conditions for education and training in high-class tennis players, improving their sports skills, building a reliable reserve in order to provide decent presentation of Uzbekistan at the prestigious international competitions. The implementation of this document helps rise a new generation of masters of big rackets, who will adequately protect the honor of the country in the international arena.
Tournament “Tashkent open” opened dozens of new names such as Marion Bartoli, Virginia Razzano, Emilia Lua, Paulin Parmentier of France, Nicole Vaydishova from the Czech Republic, Russian Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, Maria Kirilenko, Italian Francesca Skyavone, Tatiana Garbin, Saniya Mirza from India, Li Na of China, American Megan Shonessi, who today became the stars of women’s tennis.
Competitions this year will last for a week with participation of strong players from the ranking of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) such as Shuay Peng of China, Olga Govortsova from Belarus, Sorany Kirsti and Monica Niculescu of Romania, Sabina Lisiski from Germany, Galina Voskobaeva from Russia and Akgul Amanmuradova from Uzbekistan and they are expected to show good performance.
Khokim Tashkent city A. Tukhtaev participated at the opening of an international tournament.