May 29, 2015
STATE VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT OF UZBEKISTAN ISLAM KARIMOV TO THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA.. 2
Uzbekistan, South Korea Discover New Horizons of Mutually Advantageous Cooperation. 2
Construction materials industry of Uzbekistan. 3
Internal cotton fibre processing in Uzbekistan reaches 50%.. 4
On the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC.. 5
Meetings of the delegation of Uzbekistan in Kuwait City. 5
The new edition of the law “On electronic commerce” entered into force Law”. 5
international festival “Fashion and design – 2015”. 6
Festival of Beauty, Elegance and Style. 6
Uzbekistan Karatekas Win Four Medals at the International Tournament in Kuwait 7
STATE VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT OF UZBEKISTAN ISLAM KARIMOV TO THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Uzbekistan, South Korea Discover New Horizons of Mutually Advantageous Cooperation
As it was reported earlier, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov arrived May 27 in Seoul on a state visit, at the invitation of President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea.
The second day of the visit started from the travel by the President of our country to the National Memorial Complex that houses the burial remains of nearly 170 thousand people who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the Republic of Korea.
The head of our state paid tribute to the fallen and laid a wreath to the Memorial Column.
During the official ceremony of welcoming the high ranking guest at the residence of the President of the Republic of Korea, the guard of honor lined up under the sounds of state anthems of the two nations. The two leaders walked along the guard and gave honor to them.
During a meeting in a contracted format, Presidents Islam Karimov and Park Geun-hye discussed priority aspects in the evolution of long-term cooperation as well as pressing issues of regional and international nature that the two countries share interest.
The interaction between Uzbekistan and South Korea is built on the friendship of our two peoples dating back to millennia. Frescos in Afrasiyab depict ceremonies of reception of the ambassador of the ancient Korean state Choson by the ruler of Samarkand – suggestive of the rather deep roots in the ties between the two nations.
The relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea have been advancing consistently thanks to the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership signed in 2006 and the Joint Declaration on the Further Development and Enhancement of Strategic Partnership penned in 2014. These bonds have been consolidating and enriching in substance owing to the regular contacts between the heads of two states and the community of interests of our two peoples.
As Islam Karimov stressed in particular, the Republic of Korea is Uzbekistan’s reliable strategic partner tested by time and that our country attaches a high consideration to this cooperation that is built on openness, mutual understanding and respect. The head of our state underscored that South Korea has earned the reverence of the entire world as a highly advanced country that wields immense economic, scientific, technological, innovative and intellectual potential.
Park Geun-hye put in her turn that Islam Karimov’s first state visit following his reelection as the President of Uzbekistan to South Korea constitutes a big event for her people and a manifestation of firm aspiration to continue and enhance the traditional meetings at the highest level.
The two sides support the internal and foreign policies of each other. On many current issues in global and regional affairs, views and stances of the two countries are similar or close.
The Republic of Uzbekistan supports the well-thought-out, well-balanced foreign policy of the Republic of Korea that is directed at ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the Asia-Pacific in general. Seoul appreciates highly the actions of Tashkent designed to cement stability in Central Asia, the policy of non-accession to military-political blocs, and that aimed at promoting mutually rewarding cooperation with all the nations.
Uzbekistan expressed support for the concept of Euro-Asian Initiative. In this regard, the two sides declared their intention to keep with the mutually beneficial interaction directed at the implementation of this scheme, primarily in the sphere of transport and transit.
Uzbekistan and South Korea share unanimity on issues concerning the rational use of water resources.
Inter-parliamentary ties have been growing, while exchange of delegations at all levels has been regular. Our two countries cooperate closely within the frameworks of the United Nations and other international organizations and institutions.
The two Presidents continued their talks in an extended format with the participation of official delegations. The sides deliberated on issues pertaining to the consolidation of cooperation in trade and economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian areas.
Notwithstanding the ongoing global financial and economic crisis and the instability in the world market, the economies of Uzbekistan and South Korea have been showing dynamic development.
The agreements signed and deals reached during the visit by President of the Republic of Korea Park Geun-hye to our country in 2014 afforded a new impetus to the evolution of bilateral cooperation. Last year, the volume of mutual trade turnover exceeded two billion dollars.
Following the negotiations, Presidents Islam Karimov and Park Geun-hye signed a joint declaration that reflects a high appreciation of the current state of the mutual cooperation and defines prospective priority dimensions in the development of bilateral relations.
With the participation of the heads of state, a range of documents was approved to fund major investment projects, boost production technologies, bolster extensive introduction of information and communication technologies, to build up cooperation among ministries and other government agencies of the two nations.
As part of the visit by President Islam Karimov, 60 documents in general have been inked to shore up trade and economic, investment, financial and technical cooperation as well as in other spheres totaling practically 7.7 billion dollars.
Later the day, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received the heads of major Korean corporations and companies who have joint business and investment projects in Uzbekistan.
The state visit by the leader of our country to the Republic of Korea continues.
(Source: Press-service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
economy
Construction materials industry of Uzbekistan
Construction materials industry has been deemed as one of the key segments of economy in Uzbekistan. It supplies infrastructure, housing and communication projects, and produces a good example of successful localization.
Some ten years ago, the domestic markets were filled with imported building materials, often of questionable quality. To date, the situation has changed dramatically. Domestic manufacturers have ‘defeated’ their rivals in a tough competition, offering customers better and relatively inexpensive products.
Meanwhile, the flow of imports is still significant, despite the dynamics. According to Uzstroymaterialy Company, last year Uzbekistan imported construction materials worth $2.21 billion. Wood and metal made up the bulk of the imports. On the one hand, it is a huge amount, though quite understandable. There are no big deposits of iron in the country, and the climatic conditions do not allow producing sufficient wood. However, Uzbekistan is taking steps to substitute part of imported products. The analysis of imports of construction materials for the past two years identified 15 kinds of materials that might be produced in the country. Their imports cost $145 million annually. It is expected that the production of these materials will be localized by domestic enterprises in 2015-2016.
The production of more than 30 new kinds of materials has been adapted in Uzbekistan in the past few years. The Program of Socio-Economic Development in Regions for 2015-2016 envisages the implementation of over 2,000 projects in the field of construction materials worth $773.6 million, as well as creation of 35,000 new jobs. In addition, the Program of Localization for 2015-2019 provides the launch of production of 20 kinds of products. The list includes wallpaper for walls and ceilings, channel bars and fittings, graphite products with and without metal made of PTFE and graffiti-filled caprolon, expanded perlite, soft roofing ‘bikrom’, glass crystallite, and others.
A big step in this direction is planned in cooperation with the German company Knauf. This year it launches two projects in Bukhara region: construction of a new dry mixes plant, and upgrade of the existing gypsum plant. Uzbekistan and the German side are getting ready to sign a respective agreement.
The history of Knauf in Uzbekistan started in 2005, when the company purchased 30.77% of the Bukharagips company for $1.55 million with $6.3 million of investment commitments. Today, the German company owns 98.98% of the company. In 2009, after the reconstruction, the enterprise launched the production of dry mixes. A gypsum board plant opened in the Bukhara region in 2011. The volume of Knauf investments in the establishment of modern production facilities in Bukhara region has exceeded $60 million.
The German side intends to invest $52.5 million in its new initiatives. The new dry mixes plant will be capable of producing up to 120,000 tons of various products, and after the upgrade the capacity of gypsum board plant is estimated to increase by eight million sq. m. per year.
A manufacture of modern insulating materials worth $16.03 million with annual capacity of 10,000 tons has been commissioned this year in Bekabad.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
Internal cotton fibre processing in Uzbekistan reaches 50%
The volume of internal processing of cotton fibre in Uzbekistan reached about 480,000 tonnes, head of main department of technical policy and forecasting of Uzbekyengilsanoat Dilbar Muhamedova said at the press conference dedicated to exhibition TextileExpo Uzbekistan.
She noted that the volume of internal processing of cotton fibre in Uzbekistan reached almost 50%.
Annually Uzbekistan produces about 3.5 million tonnes of raw cotton and 1-1.2 million tonnes of cotton-fibre. In 1991, Uzbekistan internally processed only 7% of cotton-fibre and the figure reached 45% in 2014.
As reported earlier, Uzbekyengilsanoat state joint stock company is planning to increase internal processing of cotton fibre up to 70% by 2021
Dilbar Muhamedova said that there are over 3,000 enterprises in textile and light industry in Uzbekistan. Uzbekyengilsanoat unites about 310 enterprises, which produce main part of production in light industry.
She underlined that regions of Ferghana Valley are traditional region of production of light industry. She said currently is work underway to create light industry enterprises in other regions of Uzbekistan.
Uzbekyengilsanoat official said the industry attracted over US$2 billion of investments in last ten years, main part of which was foreign investments, including direct. Among investors were companies from the European Union, Turkey, India, Singapore, South Korea and Japan.
Muhammedova said that light industry of Uzbekistan exports its products to over 50 countries. CIS states and Russia are traditional markets for Uzbekistan. The country also exports products to Latin America, Africa, European Union and United States.
She recalled that Uzbekistan adopted a programme of measures on structural reforms, modernization and diversification of production capacities for 2015-2019. Within the programme, it is planned to implement 77 textile projects for US$918 million, including construction of vertically integrated textile complexes in various regions of Uzbekistan.
According to the programme, Uzbekistan plans to increase production of textile and ready garments by 1.8 times. The exports will grow by 1.8 times compared to US$1 billion in 2014.
(Source: UzDaily.com )
International cooperation
On the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC
On 27-28 May 2015, the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov took part in the 42nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Kuwait City.
The Foreign Ministers of the OIC member states exchanged views on the topical international and regional problems, and discussed the perspective directions of further developing of cooperation in political, trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian and other spheres, considered the issues of the OIC.
The delegations of the member countries, heads of other international and national financial institutions attended the CFM.
At the plenary session, on the proposal of the Uzbek side, it was decided to hold the next session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC in Uzbekistan in 2016.
(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
Meetings of the delegation of Uzbekistan in Kuwait City
On 27-28 May 2015, the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov, which took part in the 42nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, held meetings in Kuwait City with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabbani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, First Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif.
During the meetings, the current condition and prospects of developing of bilateral relations were discussed.
The sides considered the issues of cooperation in the framework of the OIC.
(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
BUSINESS CLIMATE
The new edition of the law “On electronic commerce” entered into force Law”
On May 22 President of Uzbekistan signed the Law “On electronic commerce” in the new edition.
Recall that the law was adopted by the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis on April 17, and approved by the Senate on May 15. The previous edition of the Law “On electronic commerce” was adopted on April 29, 2004.
According to the law, e-commerce is a purchase and sale of goods (works, services), carried out in accordance with agreement concluded with the use of information systems.
State regulation in the field of e-commerce is carried out by the Cabinet of Ministers and its authorized state body.
The law stipulates that electronic documents, as well as the information recorded in electronic form, which allows identifying the sender in e-commerce have the same status as the documents in hard copy, signed by own hand, and can be used as evidence of the transactions.
Agreement in e-commerce can not be considered as invalid on the sole ground that it was concluded with the use of information systems. Offer in e-commerce is formed as an electronic document.
A response from the participant of e-commerce, regarding acceptance of the offer can be made in the form of an electronic document or electronic message, or by taking actions indicated in terms and conditions of the offer.
The law stipulates that the seller of goods (works, services) in e-commerce can be a legal entity or individual entrepreneur. At the same time, it is noted that participation in the e-commerce can not be the basis for the establishment in respect of its member requirements or restrictions with respect to other business activities carried out without the use of information systems, unless otherwise provided by law.
A new edition of the law prescribe the rights and responsibilities of participants in electronic commerce, as well as information of a broker.
According to the law an information broker can be:
– Operators and providers of telecommunications networks, providing services in turnover of electronic documents and e-mails of E-commerce;
– The banks providing services on ensuring access to payment systems and making payments of participants of electronic commerce;
– Legal entities engaged in the organization of electronic trade fairs, auctions and tenders;
– Legal entities that provide services on the storage of electronic documents and electronic messages of electronic commerce participants.
The law states that the contract in electronic commerce deemed as concluded at the time of its acceptance by the party of e-commerce.
The law prohibits the use of personal data for purposes in other way, different from contract goals, and its transfer to third parties, unless otherwise provided by agreement of the parties, and (or) the law.
The use of personal data without the consent of the owner for the dissemination of the offer, and (or) advertising, including through the mass mailing of electronic documents or e-mails is not allowed as well.
(Source: UzReport.uz)
international festival “Fashion and design – 2015”
Festival of Beauty, Elegance and Style
Fashion and design – 2015 international festival with the participation of well-known designers, representatives of the leading schools of fashion and design of Uzbekistan and foreign countries opened in Tashkent.
Opening the festival, speakers noted that the textile, sewing and knitting production having a long tradition of cotton fibre processing occupied a strong position in the macroeconomic sector. Thanks to favourable investment climate and effective legal basis, enterprises of light industry have achieved significant success.
According to the first quarter of 2015, the volume of industrial production in the field increased by 20 percent compared to the same period of the last year, consumer goods – 21.2 percent. The volume of attracted investments totalled 30.1 million, exports – 194.1 million dollars.
Improving the quality and wide promotion of domestic products in international markets is one of the important issues in the industry. Following this, hundreds of designers at domestic enterprises create modern models, embodying their ideas into new products.
Many of them presented at the international festival Fashion and design – 2015. This unique project aims to further develop the national fashion, fashion industry, identifying new names, open broad prospects for young designers and creative hereditary dynasties that are relevant to the field of design and fashion, textiles, accessories.
Not coincidentally, the main concept of this festival is to unite the innovations of fashion industry’s leading design schools and companies in Europe and Asia with traditional Uzbek school of art and design to create new industrial collections.
Foreign designers and experts from South Korea, Singapore, Italy, France and other countries are participating in the festival. With their participation were organized seminar and trainings, where local fashion designers, stylists and other professionals in the fashion industry had the opportunity to interact with eminent masters and get answers to numerous questions.
On the first day of the festival, the participants got acquainted with the method of Japanese tailoring, in particular, designs, patterns, fabrics, and also familiarized with South Korean methodology for creating fashionable garments. Seminar and trainings on Luxurious design and Made in Italy. Aesthetics of beauty and Fashion Trend 2016 from famous Italian and French designers will be held during the festival.
The fashion show, which featured models of garment enterprises of Uzbekengilsanoat and well-known designers of Uzbekistan was held in the framework of the festival. It was the collection of men, women and children, festive and casual wear. A variety of color palettes, patterns and styles testifies to the rich cultural heritage of the Uzbek people, cherished traditions and pursuit of beauty.
Show of the collections of international designers, in particular, the collection of male line of the designer “Frank Boclet” and brand “Francsorbie” (France), homemade knitted garments from “Incanto” (Italy), clothes of designer Seta Ichiro (Japan) and others took place.
The festival will be an important event contributing to the development of domestic fashion and design, the preservation and promotion of national traditions and the development of international cooperation in this field.
(Source: UzA)
sport
Uzbekistan Karatekas Win Four Medals at the International Tournament in Kuwait
Uzbekistan national karate team has won four medals at the Kuwait International Karate Tournament. Two of the medals are gold.
The tournament got involved athletes from 35 countries. One of the gold medals was won by Barno Mirzaeva, the Asian champion, winner of Asian Games in Guangzhou and Incheon. The second gold was grabbed by Sadriddin Saymatov, the Asian champion.
Gofurjon Zakhidov and Dilnoza Bakirova became bronze medalists of the Kuwait International Karate Tournament.
(Source: IA «Uzbekistan Today»)
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