@kun.uz

08 May 2024
Central Asia, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Uzbekistan International Affairs

Uzbekistan and the EU Celebrate 30 Years of Mutually Beneficial Cooperation

A festival to celebrate the 30th anniversary of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union (EU) will be held on 18 May at Tashkent’s Botanical Garden.

Welcoming the event, EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan Charlotte Adrian, stated,  “The partnership between the European Union and Uzbekistan remains strong, from the signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) to the strengthening of GSP+ [Generalized Scheme of Preference Plus] trade relations and joint commitments to improve human rights.”

The festival will feature an exhibition of EU-funded projects including an interactive platform for young people, students and other visitors.   The ‘Climate Change and Resilience in Central Asia’ project will be highlighted through an interactive game, quizzes and question-and-answer sessions, whilst  ‘Made in Uzbekistan’  will showcase goods from EU-AGRIN (Uzbek Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation System) in tasting sessions of local produce.

Celebrations will close  with a grand gala concert dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the partnership.

Interaction with the EU , one of the main priorities of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy, is evidenced by the country’s accession in 2021 to the GSP+ system of preferences, which enables   6,200 categories of goods to be exported to Europe duty-free. In this regard, General Director of BMB Trade Group Mirgulom Usmanov noted that agri-food companies in Uzbekistan are now growing and processing varieties of fruit and vegetables to meet the demands of  the European market.

In the first 10 months of 2023 alone, the volume of mutual trade between Uzbekistan and the EU grew by 36 percent year-on-year to $4.8 billion.

An important step towards revitalizing the partnership  was taken in the adoption of a resolution that calls for a review of the EU’s strategy towards Central Asian countries and as stressed by  the report,  “The EU is extremely interested in deploying efficient trade and energy corridors between Europe and Asia, bypassing Russia.”

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Kazakh Ministry of Industry & Construction

08 May 2024
Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy, Kazakhstan Home

Kazakhstan Set to Reimburse Businesses for Equipment Costs

The Ministry of Industry and Construction has announced that from mid-May, the government of Kazakhstan will reimburse small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for costs incurred in the purchase of industrial and technological equipment.

The initiative is designed to help entrepreneurs modernize their technological equipment, increase productivity, and expand the range of their products.

Arstanbek Sagiev, head of the business stimulation directorate at Kazakhstan’s Center for Industry and Export, QazIndustry JSC, commented that because the purchase of technological equipment accounts for the lion’s share of expenditure of any enterprise, the business community had long requested state support.

Outlining the initiative, he reported, “From May 12, 2024, enterprises that manufacture products on the list of priority goods can apply for part reimbursement of costs associated with purchasing equipment. QazIndustry will reimburse up to 40 percent of funds spent on the purchase of technological equipment, but not more than 60 million tenge.”

At least 30 percent of equipment currently used by Kazakh manufacturers is past its best and hence, has a negative impact on both productivity and the competitiveness of domestic producers. In the absence of funds to develop production, coupled with financial burdens imposed by costly loans, many small and medium businesses are forced to postpone updating and replacing essential equipment.

According to QazIndustry the state’s new reimbursement initiative will prove one of the most effective means of stimulating enterprises to modernize their equipment and therefore, their production.

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@iStock

08 May 2024
Central Asia, Justice, Tajikistan International Affairs, Tajikistan Local Politics, International Affairs, Tajikistan

Dushanbe Conference to Discuss New Mass Media Law

On May 14, Dushanbe will host a conference entitled “Favorable Media Environment – an Important Factor of Legal Education in Society.” The meeting is being organized by the Tajik Parliament and the nonprofit organization, Homa, with the support of the European Union (EU).

The purpose of the discussion is to review the draft law “On Mass Media” with participation from a wide range of representatives of government agencies, international, multilateral, nonprofit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the media. According to representatives of civic organizations, the rapid development of technology and international norms oblige the government to adapt legislation to international standards and modern best practices.

In March 2023, a working group was established to draft a law on the mass media. It included representatives of government agencies and civil society, who together studied the experience of various countries in the region and analyzed legislative acts regulating media activities.

In Tajikistan, the activities of the media are regulated mainly by two laws: the law “On Periodical Press and Other Mass Media” and the law “On Television and Radio Broadcasting.” Following crackdowns, only two significant independent media voices remain in Tajikistan; the privately owned Asia-Plus, and the U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s local service, both of which have long been subjected to partial shutdowns.

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@diora_u / Instagram

08 May 2024
Central Asia, Justice, Uzbekistan, Life & Culture, Uzbekistan Home, Uzbekistan Life & Culture, Uzbekistan Local Politics

Uzbek Businesswoman Diora Usmanova Recounts Own History of Marital Violence

Diora Usmanova, the owner of two restaurants and some clothing brands in Uzbekistan, has spoken on her Instagram page about the beatings she suffered from her first husband, Babur Usmanov, who was the nephew of the billionaire Alisher Usmanov. Usmanova herself is related to Ziroatkhon Mirziyoyeva, the wife of Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Usmanova wrote that the story could cause her harm, but that she believes the benefits will “outweigh the risks a hundredfold” and will “change perceptions or somehow affect women who endure domestic violence and abuse,” Gazeta.uz reported.

“We loved each other and fought very hard for our marriage. Subsequently, when he started to raise his hand against me and when these beatings went on, and the beatings continued for four years, there were concussions, and a lot of blood, and bruises, and [my] whole body in bruises, and a lot of broken furniture, doors, everything,” she said.

Domestic violence is not only the man’s fault, but also the woman’s, Usmanova said. “We don’t value ourselves enough, we’re not brave enough, we’re not strong enough, we’re afraid to give a backhand, we’re afraid to tell our parents, we’re afraid to go back to our parents, we’re afraid to start everything again. For the fact that we hope that it will change, that it will [bear] some good fruits in the future, that it will survive — this is all our problem,” Usmanova said.

In her opinion, women should terminate harmful relationships and find the strength to leave — and most importantly, learn to respect themselves.

“You have to leave such relationships. [That’s] because of the fact that you forgive once, forgive the second time, and then it becomes a habit, a person realizes that it is forgiven, it can end very badly, [a] whole life just poisoned. I did not find the strength then, and now after 10 years, I look back and realize how many mistakes were made on my part and how much is my fault. Just like [it was] his,” she stated.

On May 8, 2013, Babur Usmanov was involved in a fatal car accident in Tashkent. In 2016, Usmanova married businessman Batyr Rakhimov.

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Photo: president.uz

08 May 2024
Central Asia, Home, Uzbekistan, Life & Culture, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan Local Politics, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan Local Politics, Local Politics, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Local Politics, Features, Uzbekistan Local Politics

Central Asian Countries Allocate Various Sums to WWII Veterans

According to the news publication Centralasia.media, countries in the region will be awarding funds to veterans, survivors, and those affected by World War II in honor of Victory Day (May 9). The payments will range from $10 to $6,825.

The government of Turkmenistan allocated the smallest amount for gifts to veterans. On behalf of the President of the Republic, 200 manat ($57 at the state exchange rate or $10 at the black-market exchange rate) will be given to the participants in the war. It’s not clear how many people will receive the payments.

According to the report, Kazakhstan’s one-time payment to soldiers who served at the front is 1.5 million tenge ($3,412). A total of 3 billion tenge (more than $ 6.8 million) has been allocated from the country’s budget for the so-called bonuses for veterans. This money will be distributed to more than 50,000 people who are related to the Great Patriotic War in one way or another. Among them are front-line workers, residents of besieged Leningrad, and the widows of soldiers. There are 148 veterans of WWII front-line combat in Kazakhstan. Those veterans can also expect payments, the amount of which will be determined by local authorities. However, it has been confirmed that a total of 3 million tenge ($6,825) was allocated to six veterans from Kazakhstan‘s Akmola region on the occasion of the May 9 holiday.

In Tajikistan, 24 front-line combat veterans will receive 40,000 somoni ($,3662) as part of the national campaign recognizing contributions to the Great Patriotic War. In Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, 100,000 som ($1,113) will be allocated from the fund of the President of the Republic to each participant in the conflict before May 9. According to the press service of the President of Uzbekistan, a one-time monetary award of 20 million som ($1, 578) will be given to every participant and disabled person affected by World War II.

On May 9, Uzbekistan marks the Day of Memory and Honor, and the 79th anniversary of the victory in World War II.

On May 8, President Mirziyoyev attended a memorial ceremony and laid a wreath at the Ode to Fortitude monument in Tashkent’s Victory Park.

In a statement, Mirziyoyev congratulated veterans and the entire people of Uzbekistan on “the glorious holiday of May 9 – the Day of Memory and Honor and the 79th anniversary of the Great Victory in World War II. Today, commemoration events are being held in all our cities and villages, where we again remember how much grief and incalculable losses the cruel war brought to our people,” the president said.

During the Second World War, almost two million soldiers were mobilized from Uzbekistan to the front. More than 538,000 died, more than 158,000 went missing, and 870,000 were injured, with 60,000 returning from the front disabled.

Over 170 plants and factories were relocated to Uzbekistan from western regions of the Soviet Union occupied by the Nazi Germany. “Our people sent a huge amount of military equipment, weapons, medicine, clothing, and food to the front. Our people gave shelter to almost 1.5 million people evacuated from war zones, and took in 250,000 children who lost their parents, sharing their last piece of bread with them,” Mirziyoyev said.

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president.uz

08 May 2024
Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Uzbekistan Life & Culture, Uzbekistan International Affairs

Uzbekistan and Hungary Expand Economic Cooperation

On May 7, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Peter Szijjártó at the 9th meeting of the Uzbek-Hungarian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in Taskent.

Focus was placed on cooperation on projects in industry, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, fish farming, logistics, and real estate construction, with added emphasis on the importance of accelerating the launch of a special economic zone for projects conducted by Hungarian and European companies in the Tashkent region.

Co-chaired by Peter Szijjártó and the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov, the meeting also addressed the further development of cooperation in investment, industrial, trade and economic, banking, cultural and humanitarian sectors.

It was stated that over the past 5 years, Uzbek-Hungarian trade turnover has doubled and in the first quarter of 2024 alone, bilateral trade grew six-fold compared to the same period in 2023.

Measures to increase bilateral trade include the launch of “Meet Uzbekistan” programs to promote Uzbek products in Budapest’s large retail chains, as well as the organization of roadshows for Uzbek manufacturers in Hungary’s largest cities.

Both sides stressed the importance of diversifying transport routes, liberalizing permits for bilateral and transit transportation, resuming direct flights between Tashkent and Budapest, and organizing a logistics hub for Uzbek products in Hungary.

Note was made of Hungarian companies’ implementation of projects worth almost $500 million in Uzbekistan, and thanks expressed for Hungary’s provision of a state scholarship ‘Stipendium Hungaricum’ which enables some 300 Uzbek students to study at its universities.

 

 

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