All SCO leaders to attend Tashkent summit

A jubilee session of the Council of the heads of the member-states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be held in Tashkent on 23-24 June 2016 under chairmanship of the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov.

President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev, President of China Xi Jinping, President of Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambaev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon confirmed their participation in the summit.

The observer states will be represented by President of Afghanistan Ashraf Gani, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif Khonsari. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguli Berdimuhammedov will be special guest of the summit.

The SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov and director of Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti Terrorism Structure Yevgeniy Sisoyev, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and representatives of the CIS, CSTO and ASEAN will also take part in the summit.

According to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, about 1,000 representatives of the SCO states, international organizations and mass media will arrive in Tashkent to participate in the event.

Upcoming jubilee summit will be dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the SCO. The SCO leaders will discuss issues of further deepening multilateral and mutual beneficial cooperation within the SCO, as well as exchange opinion on actual regional and international problems.

Tashkent declaration of the 15th anniversary of the SCO will be main document of the summit, which will assess activities of the SCO in last 15 years, agree approaches to perspectives of development of the SCO, as well as positions to current international and regional situation.

SCO leaders will approve action plan for 2016-2020 to realization of the strategy on SCO development till 2025 and some other documents, directed at developing the SCO and strengthening cooperation among the member states.

The summit will wrap up presidency of Uzbekistan in the SCO, within which significant work on further improving activities of the SCO, deepening interaction within the organization in the spheres of politics, security, economy and humanitarian relations were carried out.

(Source: UzDaily.com)

PRESIDENCY OF UZBEKISTAN IN THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION (2015-2016)

On upcoming meeting of Board of SCO Business Council

On June 23, 2016, Tashkent will host a meeting of the Board of the SCO Business Council in the framework of Uzbekistan’s presidency in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The representatives of the delegations of Business circles of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, headed by the chairpersons of the national parts of the SCO Business Council, are expected to discuss prospects of developing activities, including the priorities and main directions of expansion of cooperation in the near future.

(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)

On the upcoming meeting of the Council of the SCO IBA

On 22-23 June, 2016, under Uzbekistan’s presidency, Tashkent will host a regular meeting of the Council of Interbank Association of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

At the meeting the heads of the leading banking institutions of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as a number of banks of the Observer States will discuss topical issues of cooperation within the SCO framework.

(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)

On the upcoming meeting of the SCO CNC

On 20-22 June, 2016 Tashkent will host a regular meeting of the Council of National Coordinators of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the framework of Uzbekistan’s presidency in the SCO.

The agenda of the meeting includes practical issues related to the preparation and holding the jubilee SCO Summit in Tashkent.

(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)

On upcoming meeting of Culture Ministers of SCO Member States

On 21-22 June, 2016 Tashkent will host the Thirteenth Meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The leaders of the relevant ministries of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will discuss the state and perspective directions of deepening cooperation in the cultural-humanitarian sphere as well as other topics on the agenda of multilateral cooperation.

(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)

free industrial economic zone NAVOI

Joint Companies to Boost Production

The Uzbek-South Korean joint company UzEraeCable, operating in the Navoi Free Industrial and Economic Zone, intends to considerably boost production and exports in coming years.

The company produces 41 types of cables for locally made automobiles and a wide range of products for the electrotechnical industry.

“We mainly make products for GM-Uzbekistan and SamAuto, but we also have the capacity to produce 130,000 kilometers of cables of various sizes a year. Our goods are in demand abroad. Since the start of the current year, we have exported products worth over $103,000,” says company director Sherzod Umarov.

In 2012, under the Localization Program, the companies set up production of battery plaits for Cobalt automobiles. Today, they also make plaits for new Uzbek-made Ravon-Nexia autos.

Late last year, the company set up new production. Furnished with Italy-made technologies, the plant makes over 1,000 tons of enameled copper wire. The products are used in the manufacture of electric engines and automotive alternators.

All told, the economic zone created in 2008 and sprawling over 560 hectares is home to over 30 various types of production facilities. They include the Uzbek-Chinese-Singaporean joint venture Telecom Innovations that makes digital TV signal receivers, ADSL modems, DSLAM equipment and new Home gateway modems.

Another company, the Uzbek Indian JV O'zMinda produces 24 types of components for GM-Uzbekistan vehicles. Capable of producing 250,000 pieces of spare parts a year, the plant is also working on other major projects.

(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

THE MFA Post

Information for foreign citizens in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Due to possible changes in the time of arrivals and departures of international flights from the airports of Uzbekistan and temporary restrictions on some border crossings with neighboring countries related to the holding the meeting of the Council of Heads of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tashkent, on 23-24 June, 2016 the relevant authorities of Uzbekistan will not apply penalties and other measures to foreign citizens if duration of their stay, which is marked in entry visas, expires for reasons beyond their control in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)

International cooperation

New Concept of Partnership

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a new concept of partnership with Uzbekistan for 2016-2020, developed on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the country’s economic performance.

Uzbekistan joined the World Bank in 1992, and acceded to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 1995. Since 1996, IFC has invested $144.7 million in Uzbekistan, and it has supported 28 projects for private sector development in the financial sector, agribusiness and food processing industry.

The new document focuses on three priority areas – growth of the private sector, the competitiveness of agriculture and modernization of cotton cultivation, as well as improvement in the quality of public services. Within the framework of the first track, the World Bank will contribute to the advancement of the business environment and encourage private sector investment. As for the development of the agrarian sector, the Bank will support reforms aimed at creating a more profitable market system with intensive use of labor resources, along with the more sustainable management of land and water resources. To improve the quality of public services, the World Bank Group is anticipated to provide support for countries to perk up access to water, uplift the quality of education and healthcare, as well as transport communications and integrated urban development.

According to IFC’s Regional Manager for Central Asia, Moazzam Mekan, the Corporation is pleased to expand its partnership with Uzbekistan, supporting the strategy of economic growth and job creation.

The new partnership program is based on a comprehensive analysis of the economic conditions in the short to medium term. In addition, it is the result of dialogue with the government, civil society, academia and the business community, professional associations, multilateral and bilateral donors. The concept also aims to support the national goal to secure a position in the top segment of the group of world’s countries with average incomes by 2030. It will be achieved by boosting the competitiveness of the economy, elevating the business environment and infrastructure to ensure circumstances for speedy job creation.

Junghun Cho, World Bank Country Manager for Uzbekistan:

“In order to maintain steady revenue growth, what is needed is private sector development, modernization and liberalization of agriculture, improvement in the quality of public services.”

(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)