President of Turkmenistan arrives in Uzbekistan. 2
Meeting with Deputy Minister of Defence of Russia. 3
Meetings of Uzbek Delegation in Vilnius. 3
POLItiCs
President of Turkmenistan arrives in Uzbekistan
President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov arrived in Uzbekistan on 7 October 2015 with an official visit on invitation of the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov.
Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyayev welcomed the President of Turkmenistan at the Tashkent International Airport.
The main events within the official visit of the President of Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan will be held on 8 October.
Within the Uzbek-Turkmen high level talks, it is planned to discuss current state and perspectives of further developing bilateral cooperation in political, trade-economic, transport-communication, cultural-humanitarian and other spheres. The Presidents of two states will also exchange views on topical regional and international issues.
After the negotiations, it is expected that joint statement of the leaders of two states will be adopted. It is also planned to sign several Uzbek-Turkmen documents directed at developing relations in economy, transport, customs, tourism, scientific-technical spheres, as well as in healthcare and sport.
(Source: UzDaily.com)
economy
A Factory of Vitamins
These autumn days Tashkent is hosting the farmers and manufacturers of agricultural machinery. The halls of the Uzexpocenter have opened their doors for two international exhibitions dedicated to the development of the most delicious and useful industry – growing fruits and vegetables and food products – Food Week Uzbekistan-2015 and Agri Tek Uzbekistan-2015.
The agriculture of Uzbekistan has long gained fame beyond its borders. Grown by local farmers, the little vitamin factories were awarded numerous epithets like sunny fruits, vegetables, melons and others. Most importantly, the food is entirely natural; it is grown and stored without genetic engineering techniques and harmful pesticides. This is the reason why the demand for it has been growing year by year, especially in developed countries, where people are likely to forget the taste of real apples or tomatoes.
The truth is proved by the figures – in the first half of the current year alone, Uzbekistan has exported 255,000 tons of fruit and vegetables. At the same time, the volume of exports has increased 18 times over in terms of cost over the past decade. The dynamics is the outcome of well-thought reforms in the agricultural sector, which is based on the private initiative, advanced technologies and equipment, as well as on the centuries-old experience of local farmers.
The progress of the domestic agricultural sector was reflected by the diversity of exhibits at the exhibition. More than 30 local and 20 foreign producers have presented their products this year.
“Uzbekistan has a huge agricultural capacity. Our country has opened and multiplied it during the years of independence, annually growing harvests of major crops. Today, we are facing new challenges – we need to develop processing technologies and produce high quality food products. With this purpose in mind, the Navoi Machine Building Plant is planning to launch the manufacture of different types of equipment for fruit and vegetable processing,” said the MNBP Deputy Chief Engineer Karimjon Abdullayev.
According to him, the hardware would expand the capacity of the farmers and diversify their activities, as it will be easier to manage and maintain and cheaper than their imported analogues.
Overall, in the first half of 2015, Uzbekistan has produced 1.3 million tons of potatoes (9% growth), 2.6 million tons of vegetables (8.5%), 163,000 tons of melons (8.1%), 839,200 tons of fruit and berries (7.3%) and 24,300 tons of grapes (9.1% increase). The bulk of the foodstuff produced should meet the demands of the domestic market. It has become common for the ordinary consumers to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables even under severe winter frosts, as they are procured in advance and preserved in modern refrigeration facilities.
347 modern warehouses with a storage capacity of over 231,800 tons have been built and commissioned, and another 80 cold stores have been upgraded in the last five years under the Program of Measures on Strengthening and Development of up-to-date Logistical Base for Fruit and Vegetable Storage. 21 new upgraded 14,700-ton capacity cold stores have been established in the first six months of 2015 alone. The work is currently in progress.
It is worthwhile to mention the finished food market. The republic fully meets its domestic demand, and also exports foodstuff to many countries. Favorable conditions for investors in Uzbekistan attract foreign companies that are willing to implement their initiatives.
“This is our first visit to Uzbekistan with our products – chocolates, cookies and other confectionery,” says Svetlana Sharonova, regional manager of the Russian Akkond Company. “We are currently studying your market. We would like to gain a foothold at the local market, as there is a big demand and benefits for producers. I would like to point out the well-organized sales and logistical infrastructure that allow quick establishment of all the facilities we need.”
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
International cooperation
Meeting with Deputy Minister of Defence of Russia
On October 7, 2015, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov received the Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation Anatoly Antonov, who is on visit in Uzbekistan.
In the meeting, the sides discussed the topical issues of the multi-aspect Uzbek-Russian relations.
During the conversation, the sides also exchanged views on mutually interesting international and regional problems.
In the meeting, the Ambassador of Russia Vladimir Tyurdenev attended.
(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
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Meetings of Uzbek Delegation in Vilnius
On October 5-7, 2015, in Vilnius, the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan participating in the sixth round of the Uzbek-Lithuanian ministerial consultations, held meetings and talks with the Vice-Minister of Agriculture Vilius Martusevičius, the Head of the Group of Lithuanian Seimas for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with Uzbekistan Valerijus Simulik,
the Vice-Minister of Economy Noreikienė Rasa as well as the representatives of the Centre for Research in Eastern Europe and the Centre for Geopolitical Studies of Lithuania.
The sides practically discussed the perspective proposals for the further development of bilateral relations and for saturating them with new joint projects in various spheres of cooperation.
Within the visit to Lithuania, the delegation held a presentation of the investment potential of Uzbekistan in the of Lithuanian Business Confederation, in which representatives of leading business structures of the country attended, also got acquainted with the activities of BOD Group, one of the leading producer of technologies for using solar energy in the region and «AB Achema», the largest producer of chemical fertilizers in the Baltic States.
(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
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