JUNE 4 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tashkent for talks with his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov. Local media reported that Mr Putin and Mr Karimov discussed strengthening relations and in particular boosting security ties.
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(News report from Issue No. 091, published on June 8 2012)
MAY 29 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Human rights groups urged the Uzbek government to allow the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) to monitor its 2012 cotton harvest. Clothing companies have boycotted cotton from Uzbekistan because it uses child labour. The Uzbek authorities have refused the ILO access to monitor the harvest.
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(News report from Issue No. 090, published on June 1 2012)
MAY 31 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – One of China’s top military officers, General Chen Bingde, visited Taskhent and called for greater bilateral cooperation between Uzbekistan and China, media reported. General Chen said Central Asia had an important part to play in the world. He holds a position equivalent to the US’ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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(News report from Issue No. 090, published on June 1 2012)
MAY 19 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – An Uzbek-South Korean joint venture said it had secured a $2.5b loan from a consortium of banks to build a gas plant in the northwest of the country. The planned gas plant at the Surgil field is considered an important part of Uzbekistan’s future energy policy and will create 1,000 jobs.
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(News report from Issue No. 089, published on May 25 2012)
MAY 18 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – For the second time this year the Uzbek government has pledged economic reforms to open up its command economy to private investors and, potentially, foreign investors.
On May 15, Uzbek media quoted Saifitdlin Gafarov, deputy chairman of the Uzbek state property committee, as saying that the government wanted to sell off 500 stated owned assets. Mr Gafarov was thin on details but he did say that the sell-off would cover all sectors from energy to pharmaceuticals. Intriguingly, AP reported that Mr Gafarov said Uzbekistan was specifically looking for foreign partners to develop its technology industry.
All this sounds good and Mr Gafarov’s announcement also comes a few weeks after a statement that Uzbekistan wants to make life easier for often-harassed foreign firms working in the country.
Despite the warm words, though, there has been no hard plan. It’s unclear exactly what the government means and whether they are serious about bringing in much-needed foreign investment and expertise or whether they just want to sell-off assets to members of the elite.
The Uzbek economy is closed off, inflation is rampant and shortages are increasing. Opening up the economy may help to ease problems but if the Uzbek government wants to be taken seriously it needs to unveil more plans.
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(News report from Issue No. 088, published on May 18 2012)
MAY 13 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police in Uzbekistan have opened a murder inquiry into the death of Anvar Jabborov, the Uzbek minister for culture between 2009 and 2011, local media reported. According to reports, Mr Jabborov disappeared from his office on May 8. His body was found five days later.
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(News report from Issue No. 088, published on May 18 2012)
MAY 2 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Other than Georgia, US-based Freedom House rated media in Central Asia and the South Caucasus as “Not Free”. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan propped up the bottom of the table, closely followed by Kazakhstan. Media freedom in Georgia, the report said, had improved in 2011.
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(News report from Issue No. 086, published on May 4 2012)
APRIL 16 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan restarted pumping gas to neighbour Tajikistan after a 15 day break, the Uzbek energy monopoly, Uzbekneftegaz, said on its website. The resumption of gas supplies eases pressure on Tajikistan’s economy and foils rising Uzbek-Tajik tension. The new contract rolls through to the end of the year.
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(News report from Issue No. 084, published on April 20 2012)
MARCH 6 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Gulnara Karimova, eldest daughter of Uzbek president Islam Karimov and the country’s envoy to the UN in Geneva, intends to launch another pop album. Many ordinary Uzbeks revile the high-living Ms Karimova who once controlled much of the country’s industry and owns her own fashion label.
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(News report from Issue No. 083, published on April 13 2012)
APRIL 13 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Despite rosy official figures, information leaking out of Uzbekistan suggests that the economy might not be in such rude health.
In the past month, the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has reported that pensioners were having to repay part of their pensions and that teachers were being paid with chickens instead of cash.
Sources have also told the Conway Bulletin there are queues of hundreds of cars outside petrol stations throughout the country and regular power and water cuts, even in the capital Tashkent.
These snatched insights are important because Uzbekistan is one of the world’s most closed states and has been presenting itself as a successful alternative to the free-market global economy.
The official line is that its closed policies have made Uzbekistan self-sufficient and sheltered it from the global economic crisis of 2008/9. State statistics show GDP growth at around 8% in 2011 and 8.5% in 2010.
Now though, the Uzbek government appears to be trying to lure foreign investors. On April 11 the AP news agency reported that the Uzbek authorities had promised potential investors tax breaks. Importantly it also promised not to interfere in investors’ work.
Either the Uzbek government finally wants to open up the country or it needs some cash.
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(News report from Issue No. 083, published on April 13 2012)