October 3, 2008
Politics:
President of Latvia to visit Uzbekistan
Brazil delegation holds talks in Uzbekistan
Economics:
Experts discuss development of furniture sector
Shurtangazmakhsulot contributes to state programme on converting vehicles to gas fuels
Austrian businesses to pay visit to Uzbekistan in mid-October
Society:
Virtual Silk Highway project’s meeting ends
Intl seminar discusses issues of liberalizing mass media
Pedagogical Grants Programme starts to accept applications
Uzbekistan starts to introduce new number plates
POLICY
PRESIDENT OF LATVIA TO VISIT UZBEKISTAN
President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers will pay a state visit to Uzbekistan on 5-7 October on the invitation of the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, UzA reported.
During the visit, issues of expansion of Uzbek-Latvian cooperation, as well as important problems of regional and international character will be considered.
Signing of a number of bilateral documents, aimed at deepening cooperation in various spheres, is planned.
BRAZIL DELEGATION HOLDS TALKS IN UZBEKISTAN
A delegation of Federative Republic of Brazil led by Under Secretary-General of the Ministry of External Relations on political affairs Roberto Jaguaribe Gomes de Mattos has visited Uzbekistan, Jahon news agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan reported.
The report said the delegation held negotiations at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, Uzinfoinvest of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Trade and Investment of Uzbekistan and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.
Roberto Jaguaribe Gomes de Mattos said in interview with Jahon news agency that this visit was another step in development of cooperation between two states. He said that the sides are interested in each other despite geographic location. He underlined that Asia plays key role in Brazil foreign policy and Uzbekistan occupies special place.
Brazilian official said that two countries have great potential for development of bilateral cooperation, based on equality, mutual understanding and respect, as well as taking into account interest of each side. Brazil and Uzbekistan has common or close positions on many issues, he added.
Roberto Jaguaribe Gomes de Mattos said that the sides are developing cooperation both in bilateral level and within the international organizations. He said that the countries exchanged several visits in various levels in last two years and discussed issues on boosting relations in various spheres of economy and trade.
He underlined that the political contacts created firm ground for development of relations in other spheres of cooperation like economy, oil and gas, mining, trade, agriculture and others. At the same time, there are many opportunities unrealized opportunities.
During the visit, the delegation witnessed that Uzbekistan is carrying out effective economic policy, which resulted in creation of attractive investment climate and expansion of foreign economic activity, as well as overall economic growth of the country.
ECONOMY
EXPERTS DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT OF FURNITURE SECTOR
Expert council of Business Forum on industrial development and small and private businesses held a session in Tashkent on September 30 to discuss current affairs and perspectives of furniture industry of Uzbekistan, Uzreport Information portal reported.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and UN Development Programme's "Business Forum of Uzbekistan" projects were organizers the event. The development of national furniture industry is dictated with increasing demand of population of quality furniture (over US$100 million) and creation of new jobs and attraction of additional investments in the industry. In conditions of high competition, it is necessary to increase competitiveness of national furniture industry. Currently, the share of imports in furniture is 40-45% of total market.
The participants considered issues of current affairs and perspectives of furniture industry development in Uzbekistan, including improvement of competitiveness of local production, rendering additional services and strengthening of the role of small and private businesses in the industry. The participants had an opportunity to exchange opinion and recommendations on boosting furniture industry of Uzbekistan. The event assists to consolidate efforts of the state and private sector to develop furniture industry in the country.
SHURTANGAZMAKHSULOT CONTRIBUTES TO STATE PROGRAMME ON CONVERTING VEHICLES TO GAS FUELS
Shurtangazmakhsulot JV, which has commissioned two processing lines of liquefied petroleum gas at the Shurtan gas processing plant in Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan, is currently making a significant contribution to the Uzbekistan Government's Programme of converting some of the country's vehicle fleets to liquefied hydrocarbon gas- and natural pressure gas-based fuels. This programme was initiated to protect the home market and the country's consumers from world oil price fluctuations. The aim of this programme is to modify 198,000 vehicles by replacing gasoline with liquefied petroleum gas fuel within a period of 6 years. About 11,300 tonnes of liquefied petroleum technical gas (LPTG) and 2,653.4 tonnes of stable natural gas liquids (SNGL) have been produced by the Joint Venture since commissioning. Output at Shurtangazmakhsulot JV has recently significantly increased.
Daily LPTG output has now reached 320 tonnes a day compared 62 tonnes a day at the beginning of August; SNGL output has increased to 60 – 65 tonnes a day versus earlier 40-45 tonnes. 41,370 tonnes of LPTG and 8,141 tonnes of SNGL are planned to be recovered in 2008. In its efforts to support the Uzbek Government in providing oil products to the country's consumers, the Shurtangazmakhsulot JV now sells 50% of the LPTG and 100% of the SNGL fuel produced in the internal market.
AUSTRIAN BUSINESSES TO PAY VISIT TO UZBEKISTAN IN MID-OCTOBER
A trade-economic mission of Austria will pay a visit to Uzbekistan on 15-16 October to establish contacts with the Uzbek businesses.
Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment and Trade of Uzbekistan and Trade Department of the Embassy of Austria are organizing the visit of the mission.
The visit is aimed at establishing business contacts and discussing opportunities of mutual cooperation between Austrian and Uzbek entrepreneurs. The Austrian mission will include representatives of 21 companies, producing such products as construction materials, equipment for metal processing, waste processing systems, ventilation and climate equipment, etc.
SOCIETY
VIRTUAL SILK HIGHWAY PROJECT’S MEETING ENDS
The session of the NATO’s Virtual Silk Highway project was held in Tashkent on 1-2 October. It was organized by the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and NATO’s Science Committee. IT specialists and scholars from Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belarus, Norway, Hungary, Turkey and Armenia participated in the forum.
The Virtual Silk Highway project, developed by NATO in 2000, helps the countries of Central Asia and Caucasus to establish their research and education networks on the Internet and expand cooperation. The main objective of the project is exchange of scientific and educational information among the countries of the region for introduction of information technologies in science.
“Uzbekistan is a country with high scientific potential,” said head of the project Chris de Vispilaer (Belgium). “NATO is working with your country in such areas as information technologies, medicine, science, ecology. We have witnessed the rapid development of information technologies and the growth of Internet users in Uzbekistan. We intend to expand cooperation with Uzbekistan in developing and implementing new projects.”
Since 2002, Uzbekistan in the framework of the Virtual Silk Highway project has been actively involved in creation of scientific network of Central Asia and the Caucasus. ISP UzSciNet, created in the Physics and Technical Institute of the Academy of Sciences, is one of the leading information network in the country. The network includes information on scientific and cultural life of Uzbekistan. It is designed to promote training and skills development in information technologies.
UzSciNet is expanding its network coverage. Currently, 48 institutes and universities are connected to the network. Representatives of schools, colleges, medical and academic institutions from all regions of the country have the right for free use of the network. UzSciNet helps Uzbek scholars and professionals to participate in international projects with their academic works.
INTL SEMINAR DISCUSSES ISSUES OF LIBERALIZING MASS MEDIA
Two-day international seminar "Liberalization of mass media – important condition of democratization and modernization of the country" started in Tashkent, capital city of Uzbekistan, on 2 October. The event was organized by Institute of Studying Civil Society of Uzbekistan in cooperation with the European Commission, Uzreport Information Portal reported.
The seminar is continuation of open and productive dialogue on democratization of mass media among representatives of civic society institute of Uzbekistan and non-governmental and non-commercial organizations of the European Union and other countries.
During two days, the participants of the current seminar will consider issues of liberalizing mass media in ensuring rights on free speech, free access of information, implementation of international standards of journalism into national legislation, etc.
Within the first day of the seminar, the foreign guests of the seminar visited National Association of Electronic Mass Media, where they participated in the roundtable with journalists of private television and radio channels, as well as Uzbekistan Today newspaper.
PEDAGOGICAL GRANTS PROGRAMME STARTS TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS
Fund Forum of Art and Culture of Uzbekistan started to accept applications from teachers to Pedagogical Grants Programme on 1 October.
The programme is aimed at supporting representatives of education system o Uzbekistan, the fund said on 2 October.
The grants issued in three directions: teachers of schools, academic lyceums and extracurricular educational establishments, pedagogues of secondary special and higher education and those, who are engaged in scientific research and working in higher education institutions.
The fund said that the winners in the first two directions will receive monthly remunerations during a year and the winner in the third directions will get a grant to develop project.
The grant resources will help teachers to develop open lessons, help to conduct lessons with interactive methods, preparation of educational modules and events.
The deadline for submission of the applications to the programme is 1 November 2008, the fund noted.
UZBEKISTAN STARTS TO INTRODUCE NEW NUMBER PLATES
Uzbekistan started introducing new samples of number plates from 1 October 2008. There will be 25 types of number plates since the number plates of cars, lorries, buses, motorcycles and trailers will have certain design.
The citizens and organizations can change number plates of their cars on voluntary basis from 1 October 2008 till the end of the first quarter of 2009. Starting from the second quarter of 2009, the mandatory introduction of new number plates will be started.
The background of a number plate for a vehicle belonging to legal entities is white and its edging, figures and letters are black. On its left it has an area code, and on its right - the Uzbek flag and the letters 'UZ'. The general design of a new number plate for vehicles belonging to physical entities will be almost the same, but the only difference is the location of letters. If the number plate for legal entities has three figures and three letters which are positioned one after another then the number plate for physical entities will have one letter followed by three figures and two letters again.
The number plate for vehicles belonging to supreme state bodies, governing bodies and ministries will have the flag first followed by three letters and three figures and there will be no area code.
Samples of the new number plates have also been designed for vehicles belonging to international organizations of various ranks, foreign citizens and for people with no citizenship. The background of their number plates will be mainly green and yellow, and letters and figures will follow each other.
This measure has been done with the aim of bringing the national standards into line with the international ones.