INFORMATION DIGEST OF PRESS OF UZBEKISTAN # 243 December 7, 2016

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INFORMATION DIGEST OF PRESS OF UZBEKISTAN # 243 December 7, 2016

 

POLItiCs. 1

On telephone conversation with President of Turkmenistan. 1

On telephone conversation with President of Turkey. 1

On telephone conversation with Russian Prime Minister 2

economy.. 2

Uzbekistan intends to increase the fruit and vegetable production to 26 million tons by the end of 2020, against the current 20 million tons. 2

International cooperation.. 3

Delegation of Uzbekistan to take part in OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting. 3

REGIONS. 3

Regional opportunities as a contribution to economic growth. 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POLItiCs

On telephone conversation with President of Turkmenistan

On 6 December President-elect of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoev had a telephone conversation with the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov.

President of Turkmenistan cordially congratulated Shavkat Mirziyoev with a decisive victory in the elections of President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

During the conversation, unity of history, proximity of spiritual and cultural values of the Uzbek and Turkmen people were underlined.

The Heads of state discussed the current state and prospective areas of Uzbek-Turkmen multifaceted cooperation, exchanged views on key regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The leaders of the two countries have noted with satisfaction the high level of inter-governmental relations, based on the principles of friendship, good-neighborliness and mutually advantageous cooperation. They also expressed a firm intention to actively develop constructive and transparent dialogue in political, trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian and other spheres.

The parties expressed shared satisfaction with significant acceleration of business exchanges and close interaction between leading companies of the two countries, as well as practical results of joint work.

Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov invited Shavkat Mirziyoev to pay an official visit to Turkmenistan on any convenient time to the Uzbek side. The invitation was accepted with gratitude.

The conversation was held in a traditionally sincere and friendly atmosphere.

(Source: UzA)

On telephone conversation with President of Turkey

President-elect of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoev had a telephone conversation with the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 6 December 2016 on the initiative of a Turkish side.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warmly congratulated Shavkat Mirziyoev with a worthy victory in the presidential elections in Uzbekistan, held on 4 December 2016.

The Heads of state discussed actual issues of inter-governmental relations, underlying a firm willingness to reinforce and broaden an Uzbek-Turkish multifaceted dialogue and a mutually beneficial cooperation in the spirit of negotiations at the highest level on 18 November in Samarkand.

President of Turkey expressed sincere gratitude for a warm reception and hospitality during the visit of the Turkish delegation to Uzbekistan.

The parties have particularly highlighted that contemporary bilateral relations are based on solid foundation of historical and spiritual unity of Uzbek and Turkish people and are aimed at achieving practical results, which will equally meet the mutual interests.

It was underscored, that Uzbekistan and Turkey intend to fill the partnership with qualitatively new contents, taking into account significant capacity in economic, investment, technological, cultural, humanitarian and other spheres.

Primarily, the parties support increasing contacts via foreign ministries, ministries and organizations of economic sphere. An agreement was reached to conduct a meeting of the Intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation in the nearest future.

It was once again underlined during the conversation that in accordance with the agreements, reached at the Samarkand meeting, specific spheres have been determined for implementation of mutually beneficial investment projects together with leading Turkish companies.

Leaders of Uzbekistan and Turkey agreed to exchange official visits and corresponding instructions were given to relevant ministries and agencies.

The conversation was held in an open and constructive mood.

 (Source: UzA)

On telephone conversation with Russian Prime Minister

A telephone conversation of President-elect of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoev had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitriy Medvedev on the initiative of a Russian side.

Russian Prime Minister expressed sincere congratulations to Shavkat Mirziyoev on his convincing victory in the presidential elections.

The parties discussed the pace of implementation of the agreements, reached during recent meetings on the highest and high level levels, on topical issues of developing mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, economic, investment, cultural-humanitarian and other areas.

Shavkat Mirziyoev and Dmitriy Medvedev positively evaluated the results of the working visits of the delegations of Uzbekistan and Russia on various levels, conclusion of important agreements on priority spheres of cooperation.

An agreement to intensify bilateral relations in all spheres of mutual interest and further consolidation of partner relations was reached.

(Source: UzA)

economy

Uzbekistan intends to increase the fruit and vegetable production to 26 million tons by the end of 2020, against the current 20 million tons

As estimated, the annual growth of fruit and vegetable production will be not less than 6% in the next five years. Meanwhile, these crops are not predicted to be the major drivers of the increase in agricultural production. The biggest growth is expected for fish and honey- by more than twice.

Uzbekistan possesses favorable natural and climatic conditions for the production of food agricultural products. In 2016, farmers have produced more than 37 million tons of various agricultural products, including nearly 20 million tons of fruits, vegetables and melons, about 9.5 million tons of milk, more than 2 million tons of meat. The numbers can be substantially increased, with an eye to the growing demand in the neighboring countries and the Russian Federation.

By 2020, Uzbek experts also predict growth in fruit and vegetable processing by 23% or 4.3 million tons. For example, processing of meat will increase by 17.6% (275,400 tons), milk – by 16.4% (2.35 million tons). As a comparison, in 2011-2016, the growth of fruit and vegetable processing has been at 7%, meat at 12.7%, milk at 9.9%.

Uzbekistan developed and approved the Food Industry Development Program for 2016-2020, aiming to expand the range and increase the volume of production and exportation of high-quality competitive goods, build new and revamp the existing infrastructure facilities in the food industry.

The document provides for the implementation of 180 projects totaling $596 million, to be funded by 40% of own funds of enterprises, 32% of bank loans, and 27% of foreign investments and loans.

Figures:

Today, the food industry of Uzbekistan is represented by  more than 9,700 companies, 1,493 of which  are engaged in meat and milk processing, 1,313 in fruit and vegetable processing, 1,137 are confectionery manufacturers, while 108 produce oil and fat products, and more than 5,700 manufacture other food products.

(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

International cooperation

Delegation of Uzbekistan to take part in OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting

The delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov will take part in the next meeting of the Security Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization and Cooperation in Europe on December 8-9 in Hamburg (Germany), which ends with the German presidency in the OSCE.

December 7 will see the meeting of foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries and the US in the “C5 + 1” format.

The Uzbek delegation during their stay in Hamburg is planning to hold a series of bilateral talks with the heads of delegations of the OSCE member states.

(Source: UzReport.uz)

REGIONS

Regional opportunities as a contribution to economic growth

A region is an area, region, territory, a part of the country which differ in set of the natural or historically developed economical and geographical conditions and ethnic composition of the population. The region is also understood as a group of neighboring countries representing the certain economical and geographical area that has some common features that distinguish it from other areas. (Central Asia, North Atlantic, South America, etc.).

The region as economic subsystem is more complex structure than an industry. If an industry is a complex of the technologically similar enterprises and productions, a region is a complex of the most various industries covering production, distribution, exchange and consumption of the benefits and services. There are no identical regions in practice. Each region differs from other region in level of saturation with productive forces, social structure, availability of a source of raw materials and minerals, distance from the advanced industrial, cultural and capital centres. Population grows or can  grow faster in some regions, in others, on the contrary, it doesn’t grow, in some region  the senior population groups prevail, in other regions the specific weight of youth is high. However, anyway the region is a component of territorial space, and regional economy as the component of national economy, holds a special place. The more successfully the regional economy develops, the more powerful national economy becomes, the nation-wide structure and material welfare of a society improve.

The regional economy has the object of management, theory, methodology and the principles of the organization, and many other specific features. Under the conditions of market economy and the market relations coordination of interests of the state and its territorial parts is very important.

The science and practice have already developed some general principles and specific mechanisms of productive actions in this area. So, for example, issues of a strategic order  shall be solved at the national level, in particular such as strengthening the country’s defense capabilities, maintaining inviolability  of borders, currency and currency circulation, creating the legal framework conditions of activity of accounting entities, ecology, developing nationwide transport and engineering communications, developing new structure determining productions.

All other issues, in particular, implementation of market reforms, promotion of an entrepreneurship and development of a private property, employment of the population, saturation of the consumer market, development of a social infrastructure, improvement of material well-being of people and social protection of the population shall be solved by municipal authorities and self-government of citizens. Realized nowadays  “From the strong state to strong civil society” concept is shown, strictly speaking, in expansion of functions of regional authorities and self-government institutions of citizens, progressive giving them  a part of the state powers, as well as expansion of the rights and a role of non-state, public structures in economic, social and other reforms.

Following this way Uzbekistan has achieved economic success and high image in the world community, and regions stopped being only manufacturers and suppliers of raw cotton as in Soviet period. With the policy of the correct placement and use of productive forces, they developed both in economic and technical aspect, strengthened the industrial potential, created modern market infrastructure. In the first 9 months of the current year the gross regional product rose by (GRP) created in the Kashkadarya region soared by 6,5%, Surkhandarya –   by 9,4, Khorezm – by 5,3, the Navoiy region – by almost 6,0%. Over the past five years, more than 100 new joint ventures and foreign enterprises came into existence in Samarkand region, and their number reached 259. Such large enterprises as the Fergana oil refinery plant (FORP), Fargonaazot, Kuvasoytsement, “Kuvasay- shifer”, “Quartz”, the Fergana chemical plant play an important role both in economy of the region and the country.

In order to develop  an industrial potential, since the beginning of year in the Bukhara region 470 projects worth UZS 142,5 billion are realized, over 7 thousand workplaces are created, it is  started construction of the Kandym gas processing plant which is one of largest production facilities not only in the republic but also in all Central Asia.

Commissioning more than 900 houses under modern projects not only expanded a housing stock of the region, but also improved material living conditions of its population. Tourist opportunities of the region which becomes an object of attention and visiting of people not only from Asian, but many European countries  achieved new level. Similar positive changes have occurred and continue to occur also in other regions of the country. Economy and the production potential of the Republic of Karakalpakstan located in a northwest part of the Kyzyl Kum Desert, a southeast part of the Ustyurt plateau and the delta of Amu Darya have fundamentally changed. In the territory of the republic there is situated the southern part of the Aral Sea, there are gas fields, iron, phosphorite, bentonite and kaolin clays, cooking and Glauber’s salts, marble, granite and other kinds of construction materials. The Kungrad soda plant called “miracle in desert” is the unique enterprise in Central Asia. Along with it the Ustyurt gas-chemical complex built on the basis of the Surgil field, the Hodzheyliy glass plant, Kungrad carbide plant, Nukus marble and the cable plants, “Markazy Osiye Bezak Toshlar” joint enterprise are functioning in the region. Today in Karakalpakstan great creative work is carried out, the image of the cities and villages changes, modern housing and infrastructure facilities are under construction. The authorities of the republic pay much attention to the formation of modern personnel potential.

Within territorial programs of social and economic development of regions in nine months of this year about 22 thousand projects, including 4274 projects in the sphere of the industry with commissioning of new production capacities at 3195 enterprises, organizing new types of activity at 162 enterprises, upgrading 264 and expanding capacities of 653 enterprises have been realized.  Implementation of these projects worth $2,65 billion of foreign investments and credits, of them over $1,8 billion  are foreign direct  investments.

In brief, regions no longer are those which functioned quarter-century ago when Uzbekistan was the main cotton base of the former Union and executed its activity within the uniform economic USSR complex. Nowdays the image of each region is determined not by patterns of ownership, but, first of all, by methods of  economic management, social and economic relations, rational use of regional benefits, search of a combination of national interests with regional social and economic interests. In these conditions success of regional economy depends not only  on availability of a source of raw materials, potential production, investments and other factors, but also on opportunities and ability of regional authorities to determine the development priorities considering interests not only of regions, but also interests  of the center, in other words of all nation. This problem as the world practice shows, in many respects can be successfully solved on the basis of the state territorial regulation which is scientifically called   “regional regulation or regional policy of the state”.

Regional regulation exists long ago in all countries. It is a component of national economy management and reflects spatial aspect of  reproduction process. During the Soviet period the certain experience in territorial regulation and management  had been accumulated, however, achievements of scientific and technical progress were implemented not fast enough, transition from extensive to intensive development were slow in economy  One of the important reasons for this is keeping and domination of directive methods of management, restriction of economic freedom with objective need and ability to use market methods and mechanisms, strengthen status of a private property, develop an entrepreneurship, etc.

Today economic situation is quite another. The main productive forces and resources are not only concentrated in the regions, but almost all transformations of the country originate and are performed there. Regions develop, the country gets rich, people’s life improves, a confidence in the future grows. This way regions of Uzbekistan and the country as a whole follow today, ensuring the economic growth and strengthening of national economy.

(Source: «Business partner.uz» newspaper)

 

 

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