June 18, 2014
SCO RATS marks its 10th anniversary. 2
Bukhara and Navoi Airports to increase transportation volumes. 3
Press-service of MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
SCO RATS marks its 10th anniversary
On 17 June 2014, the Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Executive Committee of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO RATS) was held grandly in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan.
Mr. Zhang Xinfeng, Director of SCO RATS chaired the Celebration. More than 100 participants including members of SCO RATS Council, former directors, deputy directors and consultants of SCO RATS, permanent representatives of SCO member states to RATS, SCO Secretary-General, deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, SCO national coordinator of Uzbekistan, representatives of foreign diplomatic missions of SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners in Uzbekistan, representatives of such international organizations as CIS ATC, CSTO, UNODC, CICA and UNRCCA were present at the Celebration.
At the Celebration, Mr. Zhang Xinfeng, Director of SCO RATS, Mr. Zaluv, Chairman of SCO RATS Council and members of SCO RATS Council made speeches respectively, which reviewed the 10 years glorious history of SCO RATS, and highly commended the great efforts made by SCO RATS with regard to coordinating the competent authorities of parties in combating the “Three Evil Forces” and maintaining regional security and stability.
They noted that over the past 10 years, under the guidance of SCO RATS Council, SCO RATS Executive Committee earnestly implemented the arrangements of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States, played a coordinating role in working together with competent authorities of parties, established a complete set of legal framework and a series of effective anti-terror regional mechanism, expanded cooperative relationship with regional and international organizations, and made great contributions to effectively fighting against the “Three Evils Forces” as well as maintaining regional security and stability.
At present, the security situation in the region is generally stable and controllable but the threats and challenges it faces are still serious and complex. On the one hand, the activities of “Three Evil Forces” especially those of international terrorism and religious extremism are still very rampant. They took all means including internet to engage in propaganda instigations and expand recruitments, which caused serious damages to the social foundations of SCO member states, leading to Muslim youth of some SCO member states engaging in spontaneous extremism activities, the consistent emergence of underground extremist groups and occurrence of violent terrorist attacks. On the other hand, the instability of situations in South Asia and Northwest Africa as well as the imminent contradictions during the period of social transformation in countries of SCO member states have posed serious threats and challenges to SCO member states.
They maintained that the celebration by the competent authorities of SCO member states of the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of SCO RATS is to review the successful experiences gained over the past 10 years by the parties in combating the “Three Evil Forces” and maintaining regional security and stability, make analysis and find out problems and weak points in anti-terror cooperation, so as to push the cooperation of competent authorities of parties in the fight against “Three Evil Forces” moving in the direction of more practical and effective development.
Members of SCO RATS Council reached the consensus that in the work ahead, the competent authorities of parties will spare no efforts to support the work of the Executive Committee of SCO RATS and try hard to build the Executive Committee into a platform of high-efficient law-enforcement and security cooperation.
At the Celebration, Mr. Mesentsev, Secretary-General of SCO, Mr. Bahbov, deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, representatives of SCO observer states, CIS ATC, UNRCCA, CICA, and UNODC took turns to make enthusiastic speeches. They congratulated on the successful establishment and operation of SCO RATS Executive Committee over the past 10 years, fully affirmed the important role of the Executive Committee in the fight against the “Three Evil Forces” as well as maintaining regional security and stability, and wish the Executive Committee to play a greater role in promoting cooperation between the competent authorities of SCO member states in combating the “Three Evil Forces” and maintaining regional security and stability.
(Source: UzDaily.comr)
BUSINESS CLIMATE
Getting a Second Wind
In Uzbekistan, a number of programs is being implemented to boost the national industrial competitiveness through modernization and technological re-equipment. Under the schemes, a lot of efforts are being concentrated on financial recovery of unprofitable, low-return and insolvent businesses of regional importance.
Every year, dozens of new factories, roads, social facilities and residential structures are built in Uzbekistan. Under market economy conditions, the local businesses have to compete with both each other and foreign companies, and, in the end, only those that concentrate on application of modern technologies and quality management systems achieve success. Unfortunately, some of them do not do so.
The President of Uzbekistan addressed this issue while delivering the report on the country’s development results of the previous year and this year’s major development courses. “We are still captives of old stereotypes; the negative influence of the malign old centrally planned economic system has not been healed completely yet. There is a strong belief that taxation privileges and protectionist measures can help to survive under fierce competition conditions. However, it is obvious that high overheads, high consumption of materials and energy, and – first of all – technological backwardness of real economic sectors turn out to be the biggest barrier to enhancement of competitiveness,” Islam Karimov pointed out.
Last year’s audit of over 500 real sector businesses and over 160,000 pieces of equipment they used showed that over 30% of the equipment is outdated: 44% in the electrical engineering industry, 37% in the machine building industry, 21% in the chemical industry, 20% in the building materials industry, 19% in the food manufacture industry, and 8% in the light industry. In order to improve the situation, the effective mechanism of placing red-ink companies under the management of banks was launched five years ago in the country. From 2009 to 2013, 172 unprofitable businesses went under the control of commercial banks; 112 of them resumed their manufacturing activities and were sold to new owners. Over 316 billion soums of investments were made to modernize and revive these companies, which resulted in creating over 9,000 new jobs.
Late in May, Uzbekistan’s government approved a new set of measures to help local manufacturers to become more competitive. The bodies in charge developed financial recovery road maps for 38 companies of regional importance – to reequip them, modernize them technologically and launch manufacture of new products by them. These measures are to be taken through optimization of the production areas and existing resources, as well as restructuring their financial liabilities and refilling their working capitals by loans from commercial banks and other sources.
Among the most interesting projects stands out the modernization of Rele va Avtomatika. The company is to launch the production of propane bottles, metal espaliers for vineyards and intensive gardens, and European-standard collapsible storage racks. The trolleybus company Khorazm Trolleybus Boshkarmasi will also be technologically upgraded: a number of its transforming substations are to be overhauled, and a new trolleybus line in Urganch is to be built. As expected, the implementation of all the road maps will result in 10.4 billion soums of profits by the end of 2014.
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)
infrastructure
Bukhara and Navoi Airports to increase transportation volumes
The Government of Uzbekistan approved “road maps” on financial and economic rehabilitation of two unprofitable international airports Bukhara and Navoi of Uzbekistan Havo Yollari.
According to “road maps”, financial-economic state of two airports will be improved due to increase of aviation transportation, modernization and strengthen material-technical base, restructure and decrease debts.
It is expected that Korean Air will increase number of cargo flights to 103 and increase the volume of transportation by 4,200 tonnes via Navoi Airport.
Uzbekistan Havo Yollari will hold talks with Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, as well as other airlines for conducting cargo flights and technical stop-over at Navoi airport.
The Uzbek airline in cooperation with Korean Air will expand automobile cargo transportation at Navoi Airport, the resolution said.
Uzbekistan Havo Yollari will open internal and external flights to ensure load of Bukhara Airport, the document noted.
Implementation of these and other measures will help these airports to increase the volume of rendered services and income for 2014. Navo Airport will render services for 54.74 billion soums (42.916 billion soums in 2013) and receive income for 2.5 billion soums (6.55 billion soums of loss in 2013) in 2014.
The volume of rendered services of Bukhara Airport will grow from 18.726 billion soums in 2013 to 22.92 billion soums in 2014. It is expected that the airport will receive income for 342 million soums in 2014 agianst the loss for 4.73 billion soums in 2013.
(Source: UzDaily.com)