May 13, 2014
Together We Overwhelm Challenges. 2
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: UZBEKISTAN – VIETNAM… 2
Far Away in Space, Close in Spirit2
The State on a Monitor Screen. 4
Shermuhammad the Mirab Ibn Auzbi Muniz. 4
Press-service of MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan
economy
Together We Overwhelm Challenges
One of the several phases of the International Industrial Fair and Cooperation Exchange in Tashkent is over. The companies participating in the fair at this stage represent the agricultural, agro-processing, water resource management, consumer goods production, IT and telecommunications sectors of the country’s economy.
At the first glance, the choice of one venue for companies of sectors as diverse as agriculture and telecommunications does not seem logical. However, once you look at them more carefully, you realize how much they have in common: today they are the driving forces behind Uzbekistan’s economy, securing – each in its own niche – its future strength. The country’s agricultural sector provides the domestic market to a complete extent with high quality GMO-free food products with no harmful additives. Uzbekistan has reached the state of ‘food independence’ and, as an exporter, earned significant niches in the food markets in the CIS, Asia and the Middle East.
The telecommunication companies have made the country one of the regional leaders in coverage and affordability of cellular communication services. Besides, Uzbekistan is implementing an e-government development program and fosters the use of IT technologies in the activities of state authorities.
“Uzbekistan has become one of the countries boasting production of up-to-date and high technology goods,” said Kamil Ibragimov, director general of Olive JV. “Our company specializes in manufacturing telecommunications equipment, portable and fix-site terminals, tablet computers, modems and mobile phones. We produce them in partnership with Olive Telecommunication Pvt. Ltd., an Indian company, in the free industrial economic zone Navoi. We have extensive plans to implement this year. We want to expand our tablet computer and mobile phone lines. The two new models of our mobile phones – budget Z80 and flagship K100, supporting GSM and EVDO – are going into production soon.”
Principal objectives sought from the local industrial fairs are to assist businesses in boosting long-term economic relations in the area of manufacturing finished goods and introducing new products and attract foreign customers and prospective investors planning to set up manufacturing businesses in Uzbekistan. And these objectives are regularly attained. Every year, Tashkent industrial fair attracts a lot of various business experts and foreign and local companies. Many of them find the event very useful – in terms of obtaining relevant information and establishing mutually beneficial cooperation ties.
This year, over 160 companies have taken part in this stage of the fair. Besides exhibiting their products, many of them presented their current projects and initiatives, and came up with cooperation proposals. As a result of these activities, the local and foreign businesspeople at the fair have learned about the products manufactured in Uzbekistan, negotiated fruitfully and concluded many agreements, including export and manufacture intention ones.
“Our company is the only Central Asian manufacturer of pumping equipment,” said Kamolidin Bakirov, the sales director of Suvmash JSC. “We have been producing various types of pumps for many years, and our pumps have proved to be quite durable. Note that they are adapted to Central Asian conditions, and they are cheaper than imported ones. Now we manufacture 47 types of equipment used in various industries. Since 2011 we have been carrying out localization projects and have put 22 new pumps into production. Earlier, such pumps had to be imported. We signed 9 billion soums’ worth agreements at the fair last year. In the current year, we are hoping the total sum of the agreements we are going to sign will be even higher.” (Currency rates of CB from 13.05.2014 1$=2288.33soums)
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: UZBEKISTAN – VIETNAM
Far Away in Space, Close in Spirit
Investment map
Most of us imagine Vietnam as an exotic and mysterious tourist destination appealing to thousands of guests from around the world. However, the country boasts a smoothly running economic machine, which has produced striking results within the last 20 years. The key to Vietnam’s economic success is the policy that cashes in the following principles: attraction of foreign investments, introduction of modern technologies and innovations, and promotion of private enterprise.
Many experts point out a number of similarities in the modern development strategies of Vietnam and Uzbekistan, which is, first of all, attributed to the fact that formerly both countries had to adapt their economies to the economic realities of the time as soon as possible. Both countries had to drastically change their economic policies, restructure and denationalize their industries within short periods of time to become competitive in a new economic situation – after the economic models they had used for decades were no longer viable. The new economic models the Vietnamese and Uzbek governments are employing are parallel, featuring the same key constituents. Both countries apply the ideas whereby the state should act as the key reformer, carry out extensive social policy and marshal a phased transition to market economy. Uzbekistan and Vietnam launched the gradual process of denationalization of their industries at almost the same time – early in the 1990s, with the parallel efforts to attract foreign investments, introduce the latest science and information technology tools, international quality management and management improvement systems. These efforts resulted in efficient corporate management construction, appealing to new energetic and ambitious managing personnel. Following this and other new economic policies of the two countries, two new notable entities appeared on the global economic map.
Vietnam, for instance, is a leading Asia Pacific – and even the world – producer and exporter of certain agricultural equipment and light industry products. The country has become one of the most prominent exporters to the US for the past 15 years. Uzbekistan has also achieved good results in this economic aspect. In spite of the instability in the global markets, Uzbekistan’s exports grew by 10.9% in 2013, and its foreign trade surplus came to $1.3 billion. The country’s structure of exports clearly shows a steady growth in competitive finished goods – they composed over 72% in 2013, which is a strong evidence of successful diversification of Uzbekistan’s economy.
All these results have been achieved thanks to another most important set of measures Uzbekistan and Vietnam employed to reform their industries, namely, the intensification of research, design and experiment activities, and transition from manufacturing simple technology goods to higher added value ones, with an increase in high technology production.
The world markets provide the developing economies of Uzbekistan and Vietnam with many opportunities – and pose a number of risks. That is why, besides intensive diversification of their exports, the two countries began to stimulate their domestic demand, especially in rural areas, and launched the policies of government expenditure cuts, boosting small businesses and developing cooperation between the public and private sector.
The two nations are currently carrying out projects in oil-and-gas industry. In February 2010, Vietnam’s PVEP and its partner Uzbekneftegaz signed a five-year agreement on the major principles of geological exploration in Kossor Block, with the investment of $29.4 million under it. In the same year, they concluded a memorandum providing that PVEP should research into the possibility of geologic exploration in Bukhoro and Khiva regions. The further cooperation of the two countries was marked by signing in 2012 of a five-year agreement on geologic exploration in Molabaur Block, which is 3,600 square kilometers in area, in Ustyurt region, with the total investment made by the Vietnamese company under the agreement to be over $61 million. Set up as the operator of these two projects is Kossor Operation Company.
The cooperation of the two countries in oil and gas industry also covers technological issues. In 2011, Uzbekistan’s Uzneftegazstroyinvest and Vietnam’s Petrovietnam Engeneering signed a memorandum of understanding. It states the goal of development of cooperation between the companies in the area of engineering projects. The Institute of Geology and Oil and Gas Exploration of Uzbekistan and Vietnamese Institute of Oil and Gas also signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at their cooperation in oil-and-gas industry, mutual scientific research, and exchange of experience, information and technologies.
Tourism is another significant sector Uzbekistan and Vietnam are cooperating in. According to official representatives of both countries, mutual use of all the available opportunities in the tourism industry will boost development of cooperation in other industries. A growing number of Vietnamese tourists visiting Uzbekistan show keen interest in the country’s unique cultural heritage, national customs and traditions, and historic cities with a lot of most impressive sites. Uzbek tourists, likewise, are attracted by Vietnamese exotic culture, as well as unique beaches and picturesque landscapes. Last year Vietnam proposed that a direct flight Tashkent – Ho Chi Minh – Tashkent should be launched to increase the flow of tourists traveling to both destinations.
With regard to other areas of cooperation, the two countries have hardly used the available opportunities fully so far, in spite of the fact that their economies are similar. There are just several Vietnamese companies operating in food production and leather industries in Uzbekistan – not more. That is why the two countries are making serious efforts to promote cooperation in trade and investment areas by organizing seminars for their business communities. During these seminars, they discuss the issues of carrying out various investment projects in light and heavy manufacturing industries, construction industry, agriculture, as well as the sectors of public health, education and financial services.
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)
ELECTRONIC GOVERNMENT
The State on a Monitor Screen
Today, many countries’ governments are trying to use more innovative and efficient channels of communication with their citizens – to be able to quickly and adequately respond to their needs and settle existing problems. The traditional ways of the state-population communication have proved to be more dependent on human factors and less efficient than the new e-government systems that are getting more and more popular worldwide.
Uzbekistan has been actively building its own e-government for the past five years. Its base is The Single Interactive State Services Portal, which was launched last July. Currently, over 300 government agencies are connected to it, including regional administration offices, city district administration and mayor’s offices. The portal has become a universal point of access to the information and interactive services provided by the country’s authorities. This system is still being developed, with the use of some of the latest achievements in the field, monitored worldwide. South Korea, which has been topping the UN e-government rating for the past four years, is one of Uzbekistan’s most important partners in the e-government building efforts.
Recently, a delegation of E-Government System Development Center under the State Committee for Communication, Informatization and Telecommunication Technologies of Uzbekistan visited South Korea to discuss the current and prospective cooperation issues with the key South Korean players in the area of the e-government construction and maintenance, as well as to hold talks on further cooperation in the area of IT technologies in general.
During the visit the representatives of the center signed two memorandums of understanding with South Korean National Information Society Agency and Institute of Public Administration. These documents provide for further cooperation in the field of e-government construction through skill-sharing, mutual research, exchange of knowledge and up-to-date state management modernization methods. The key activities of cooperation with the Korean partners are to include the following: creation of a universal system of interagency interaction; evaluation of joint projects in progress; designing tools for efficient handling of information resources by state organizations; further promotion of communication between the state and the population, and the state and business; and improvement of the interaction among state agencies.
The Uzbek delegation also had meetings in Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service where the areas of future cooperation in public transportation and modern state information processing centers were discussed.
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)
The International Conference “The historical heritage of scientists and thinkers of the Medieval East, its role and significance for the modern civilization”
Shermuhammad the Mirab Ibn Auzbi Muniz
(1778 y., Ciat- 1829 y., Khorasan)
Statesman, poet, historian, translator
Biography
Muniz was born in the village Ciat, located in 8 km from the town of Khiva, in a family of mirabs. Has got education in one of Khiva madrassa. Mentors Munis were known poets of that time, in particular, Syed Muzaffar Hoxha, who wore a poetic alias Cirami.
In 1800 Muniz was attracted to public service. He was one of the four so-called “Khan’s mirabs”, which was part of the State Council, consisting of 32 high-ranking dignitaries. As a Mirab Muniz performed various duties, including led military unit.
On behalf of Khiva Khan Eltuzar (1804-1806) Shermuhammad Muniz started to write historical essay Firdavs al-Iqbal (“the Garden of prosperity”), devoted to the history of Khorezm since ancient times. Simultaneously worked on the translation of the works Miranda on the General history of Ravzat al-Safa (the “Garden of purity”). Because of the sudden death in 1829 during the epidemic of cholera, Munis were not able to complete the above work, and they were brought to completion by his nephew Mohammadreza Agahi (1809-1874).
Muniz was one of the first poets of the Khiva khanate, constituting the sofa of his poems.
Main works
1 . Sofa (Muniz al-Usak the “Friend of lovers”).
2 . Firdavs al-Iqbal (“the Garden of prosperity”). Contains a history of Khorezm and adjacent regions from ancient times to 1825 .
3 . Translation into Uzbek of the first and second volumes of a work of Ravzat al-Safa (the “Garden of purity”) Miranda.
4 . Manual on calligraphy.
Contribution to the world science
Historical essay Munis Firdavs al-Iqbal is a valuable source on the history of Central Asia and several countries of the Middle East.
Global recognition
The original text and the English translation of the works of Muniz Firdavs al-Iqbal published in the prestigious publishing house “Brill” in Holland. In various books and encyclopedias contain articles about Muniz.
(Source: msth.uz)