October 10, 2008
Politics:
Islam Karimov leaves for Bishkek
MPs discuss budget, macroeconomic indicators for 2009
Economics:
World Bank supports sustainability of agriculture in Uzbekistan
AutoMotorShow Uzbekistan 2008 opens
Transport and logistics exhibition starts
Uzbek, German businesses to discuss cooperation opportunities
Sarbast Plus changes its name to UzCarlsberg (Fuller)
Society:
Vietnam delegation visits Uzbekistan
WIUT hosts fourth graduation ceremony
Hematologists discuss development of the service
Uzbek Kurash Steps to Olympics Games
POLICY
ISLAM KARIMOV LEAVES FOR BISHKEK
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov left for Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, on Thursday, 9 October to attend the summits of CIS, EurAsEC and Central Asian leaders, UzA reported.
According to UzReport, the CIS leaders will consider over 21 draft documents at their session.
The main issues in the agenda will be a draft strategy of economic development of the Commonwealth till 2020, which was developed by special working group.
The EurAsEC leaders will consider over 15 documents at the session in Bishkek.
One of the main issues on the agenda of the session will be draft measures plan on organizational development of priority directions of the EurAsEC for 2008-2010 and beyond.
MPS DISCUSS BUDGET, MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS FOR 2009
Committee on budget and economic reforms of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan held a session to discuss State Budget of Uzbekistan and macroeconomic indicators for 2009.
The session considered main directions of tax and budget policies as well, UzA news agency reported.
The report said that tax and budget policy of Uzbekistan promotes development and modernization of economy, decrease tax burden, support small and private businesses, further improvement of investment climate and achieve set macroeconomic indicators.
The session noted that the State Budget pays special attention to social sphere, targeted social support of population, strengthen payment discipline, creation of wide opportunities for businesses through decrease of tax burden.
ECONOMY
WORLD BANK SUPPORTS SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE IN UZBEKISTAN
On October 8 the World Bank and the Government of Uzbekistan signed a US$67.96 million IDA credit for the second phase of Uzbekistan Rural Enterprise Support Project (RESP-II), Uzreport business Information portal reported.
The Project will assist the newly independent farmers to increase the productivity and financial and environmental sustainability of agriculture and the profitability of agribusiness.
On behalf of the Government the Project was signed by Rustam Azimov, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Uzbekistan. Loup Brefort, World Bank's Country Manager for Uzbekistan, signed the Project on behalf of the Bank.
The proposed RESP-II follows and builds upon the experience and success of RESP-I which have supported farmers in 5 pilot districts through the privatization and restructuring of farming and associated agribusiness activities. The RESP-II will scale up the support to about 90 districts in seven regions so that to increase yields and improve access to agricultural mechanization and to business advisory services. It will also increase the farmers' access to non government sources of finance.
Loup Brefort says: "Agriculture has always been a major component of the Uzbek economy. The proposed Project responds directly to the Welfare Improvement Strategy of Uzbekistan and the recently approved Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) aligned with WIS. It addresses such issues as reducing rural poverty and overcoming regional disparities through rural income generation and employment creation".
There are three main components to the project:
Rural Enterprise Finance
Irrigation and Drainage
Rural Training and Advisory Services
By the time the Project is completed the farmers of 90 districts in seven regions of Uzbekistan will have access to project credit lines and training; farmers and Water Users Associations (WUA) will have access to capacity building and training for WUA operations and to a number of demonstration plots for improved agricultural management practices. Investments will be made on on-farm and inter-farm drainage and irrigation infrastructure.
Uzbekistan joined the World Bank in 1992. The World Bank's mission in the country is to improve people's livelihoods through being a partner in economic reforms, supporting the modernization of the country's social sectors and infrastructure, and sharing its knowledge and experience with the government and the people of Uzbekistan.
Total World Bank commitments to Uzbekistan amount to US$722 million as of 1 July 2008.
AUTOMOTORSHOW UZBEKISTAN 2008 OPENS
Fifth Uzbek international exhibition AutoMotorShow Uzbekistan 2008 opened on October 8 in Tashkent.
The number of participants of this year’s exhibition is more than 30. Among them are large companies AvtoKomTrans, Geoltexbutlash, Mega-Mebiko, O‘zbekmazservis, Mogiza (Uzbekistan), Scania Central Asia (Kazakhstan), Auto Partner, Motopirs (Russia), Chinar Berlin Auto (Germany), Beijing Top Fairs International (China), GS Yuasa International (Japan), Fani Trading, Zentrax (UAE) and WÐ Company (Poland).
The exhibition consists of sections demonstrating cars and trucks, minibuses, agricultural machinery, engines and parts, car cosmetics and accessories, tires and auto services.
The four-day forum is aimed at attracting foreign investments in the country, expansion of cooperation and development of industrial car building in Uzbekistan.
TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS EXHIBITION STARTS
The fifth international exhibition Transport and Logistics – TransUzbekistan 2008 opened in Tashkent on October 9.
About 20 companies from Uzbekistan, Russia, Germany, Kazakhstan and Ukraine are demonstrating their products and services at the forum. They represent sectors like producing transportation machinery and equipment, providing services in logistics and transportation, customs, ports, warehouses and terminals, etc.
TransUzbekistan 2008 features all modern directions of the transport and logistics sector. The sections of the exhibition are devoted to modern transport technologies, cars, railroads, sea and river cargo transport and equipment, courier and information services, ports and terminals.
Uzbekistan is experiencing the increase of the volumes of transported cargo and development of transportation system. Currently, 65% of the internal transportations are carried out by road transport.
UZBEK, GERMAN BUSINESSES TO DISCUSS COOPERATION OPPORTUNITIES
An Uzbek-German Businesses Forum will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Tuesday, 14 October. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan organized the forum. The forum is organized to establish cooperation between Uzbek and German companies, specializing in auto and agriculture industry, agriculture machinery and equipment, energy, construction and others. The participants of the forum will discuss main issues of bilateral cooperation, establishment of contacts among German and Uzbek businesses. Germany is one of the largest investors in Uzbekistan. Currently, the investment projects for over 1 billion euros were realized at the participation of German banks. German Government allocated over 270.94 million euros as financial and technical assistance. In line with the agreement "On partnership and cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union", most-favoured-nation treatment was established between two states.
Bilateral trade turnover of Uzbekistan and Germany comprised US$328.9 million, of which US$76.6 million fell to share of Uzbekistan's export and US$252.3 million to import. Over 135 companies with German investments operate in Uzbekistan in such sectors as light industry, medical and pharmaceutical products, processing of agriculture goods, passenger transportation, etc. Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment and Trade of Uzbekistan accredited 57 firms and companies of Germany.
SARBAST PLUS CHANGES ITS NAME TO UZCARLSBERG (FULLER)
Sarbast Plus JV, the largest brewery in Central Asia, said on Friday, 10 October 2008, it changed its name to UzCarlsberg LLC JV. The company said that the change is connected with Carlsberg Group's purchase of Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH) this April. The company said Carlsberg Group became a full owner of BBH, including Sarbast Plus. Carlsberg Group consists of 40,000 staff in 61 countries and with the daily sales volume of 95 million liters of beer. Evgeniy Shevchenko, director-general of UzCarlsberg LLC JV, said he is proud for the company's achievements. He said the first achievement is the launch of the beer plan in short period of time and the second one is creation of team and the third is that Sarbast beer became the sales leader in Uzbekistan. Alisher Shayhov, chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, said that UzCarlsberg LLC JV displays that it is possible to develop successful business in Uzbekistan.
Bjorn Sondenskov, representative of Carlsberg Group, said: "We are sure that we can make great contribution to development of economy of Uzbekistan. Plant in Uzbekistan already became the important part of our network. " UzCarlsberg LLC JV was launched in autumn 2007 and it is modern brewery equipped with equipment of well-known producers. Total investments volume into the economy of the Republic of Uzbekistan is more than 60 million euros. Total capacity of the plant is 1 million hectoliter or 200 million bottles with the capacity of 0.5 liter. The plant produces beer under Sarbast and Sarbast Extra trademarks. It also manufactures well-known Tuborg Green.
SOCIETY
VIETNAM DELEGATION VISITS UZBEKISTAN
Delegation headed by vice chairman of the Committee for social issues of the People’s assembly of Vietnam and head of the Vietnam-Uzbekistan friendship society Liong Fan Koo is on a visit in Uzbekistan.
On Wednesday, the members of the delegation visited the Council of friendship societies and cultural ties of Uzbekistan in Tashkent.
At the meeting, issues of expansion of relations between the Uzbekistan-Vietnam and Vietnam-Uzbekistan friendship societies were considered.
The Vietnam delegation also met the professors and students of the National university of Uzbekistan, Tashkent state law institute and the State conservatory.
“Uzbekistan is a state with a huge intellectual potential,” Liong Fan Koo, who studied at the National University, said. “Vietnam is interested in developing relations with Uzbekistan in all spheres.”
WIUT HOSTS FOURTH GRADUATION CEREMONY
The Fourth Graduation Ceremony, for the 117 Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) graduates was held on 3 October.
It was presided over by Dr Abdujabar Abduvakhitov, the Rector of WIUT, and Dr Terry Wright, Chair of the Court of Governors of the University of Westminster (London).
Graduates, parents, friends of WIUT attended the ceremony to mark the most important event in the University calendar.
Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) is a foundation, incorporated under Uzbek law by Decree 22 "About the Westminster International University in Tashkent" approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan on 16 January 2002.
Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) was established in collaboration with the University of Westminster and "UMID" Foundation of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a Foundation established by the Edict of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 7 January 1997 to support the study abroad of talented youth of Uzbekistan.
The objective of establishing WIUT was to provide an international standard of Higher Education in Uzbekistan to enable citizens of Uzbekistan and other countries to obtain an internationally recognised Bachelor education in Business, Business Computing, Economics and Law, all validated by the University of Westminster.
HEMATOLOGISTS DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT OF THE SERVICE
A two-day conference of foreign specialists opened yesterday morning in Tashkent, was dedicated to development of hematology and transfusiology in Uzbekistan.
“One of the main topics is issues of blood service development. It passes through reorganization that will leave six centers in the Republic, which can store blood specimen, and rest of the stations will remain auxiliary. Today many objects of this service pass through reconstruction and general rebuilding. In the nearest future the most up-to-date equipment will be acquired due to US$ 7 million credited by the Asian Bank of Development. Special attention is paid to equipping the centers with modern test-systems, which unmistakably define blood infection, in particular HIV.”
Specialists also discussed modern aspects of blood diseases diagnostics. “Today it is clear: in order to assign effective treatment to a patient it is necessary to know causes of the disease defined by the genes,” commented Hamid Karimov, Director of the Scientific Research Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. “For that the first molecular-genetic diagnostics laboratory of the Republic specializing on blood-forming organ diseases opened in our institute one year ago.”
At the conference special attention was paid to modern approaches to treatment of diseases caused by blood-forming organ depression, cancer, anemia and others diseases. Uzbekistan achieved significant results in this direction. Here are some examples. Modern technologies of treatment of pregnant women and leukemia patients were introduced in the Scientific Research Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, which provides birth of a healthy child and better recovery of his mother. Due to realization of programmes on struggle against anemia there are now less new cases of the disease in the Republic. In some areas the number of anemia patients decreased by six times.
“We will present the developments of our institute,” promised Hamid Karimov. “In particular, we will present our new medicine – suksinisol blood substitute, recently we have got permission for its wide application in medicine. It positively affects human health condition due to the succinic acid component, which plays important role in the metabolism. We are planning to launch serial production of this medicine and also make it available in pills form.”
UZBEK KURASH STEPS TO OLYMPICS GAMES
The Asian Olympics Council (AOC) and Organizational Committee for Preparation and Holding of Indoor ASIADS in Vietnam decided to include the Kurash to the program of Asian Games, the Pravda Vostoka newspaper reported.
“It is a momentous event and big victory,” the chairman of International Kurash Association (IKA) Komil Yusupov said at the news conference in Tashkent, “one more step was taken to make the national Uzbek wrestling be a full-fledged member of worldwide Olympic family.”
The IKA turns ten this year. On September 6, 1998, the conference with the participation of representatives from 28 countries was held on the occasion of establishment of the Association. At the moment, the IKA combines more than 100 national Kurash federations of all around the continent.
The debut presentation of the Kurash took place during the Summer Asian Games 2002 in Pusan, Republic of Korea. Palvans (wrestlers) from Uzbekistan, India and Tajikistan performed demonstrative martial arts. AOC members, heads of various international federations highly assessed the dynamics and aesthetics of the Uzbek kurash. In December 2006 Doha, Qatar hosted the 15th Asian Summer Games, where the Uzbek kurash was included into the off-program of the tournament first time and athletes from various countries competed for four sets of awards of Kurash.
According to the Secretary-General of IKA Umidjon Yakubov, on the request of organizers of Indoor ASIADs, in December of this year in Hanoi a seminar for trainers and judges is planned to be held. And the participants of the seminar will determine the place for the next contest among 25 teams from various countries. The very number of federations is registered in Asia. Recently, China and Kuwait have applied for the IKA’s membership.
A schedule for three-day contest has been developed. Each national team consists of ten athletes: six male and four female athletes, who respectively will compete for ten medals of various merits, in line with the report.