Tag Archives: Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s Mirziyoyev sidelines rival

APRIL 26 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev has demoted his longtime colleague Rustam Azimov, sources told the Reuters news agency.

The move appears to be an attempt by Mr Mirziyoyev, in power since the death in September of the cantankerous Islam Karimov, to consolidate both his power and his reputation as Uzbekistan’s moderniser.

Mr Azimov, a deputy PM, had been considered one of the two most influential figures propping up Mr Mirziyoyev. He had previously been finance minister but has now, according to Reuters, been given the job of reorganising the rural economy. The other figure considered powerful in Uzbekistan is Rustam Inoyatov, head of the security services.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 326, published on April 28 2017)

Uzbek president to visit China

Leave a Reply

APRIL 21 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will travel to China in mid-May his aides told media. Since taking over as president in September 2016 from Islam Karimov who died of a heart attack, Mr Mirziyoyev has been on a charm offensive to boost relations with his neighbours. China is a critical influence on Central Asia and an important ally for Uzbekistan.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 326, published on April 28 2017)

ADB loans $80m for rail upgrade in Uzbekistan

Leave a Reply

APRIL 24 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved an $80m loan earmarked for the electrification of a 145km stretch of railway in Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Valley. Uzbekistan has been attracting more lending and investment from international financial institutions since Shavkat Mirziyoyev took over as president in September last year.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 326, published on April 28 2017)

Uzbek authorities close internet cafes

Leave a Reply

APRIL 21 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan’s security services raided internet cafes across the country in an apparent attempt to clampdown on extremist networks, the Eurasianet website reported. Eyewitnesses said that it looked as if the security services were searching through log books and databases looking for signs that extremists had been using internet cafes to spread propaganda. Central Asian governments are under pressure to do more to hit extremist networks after an Uzbek and a Kyrgyz were accused of attacks in Istanbul and St Petersburg this year.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 326, published on April 28 2017)

Uzbek border guards kill shepherd

Leave a Reply

APRIL 17 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek border guards shot and killed one Tajik shepherd and injured another, shootings that overshadow progress to repair damaged relations. The Tajik authorities accused the Uzbek border guards of crossing the border and illegally shooting the two men. The Uzbek authorities said that the shepherds had crossed into Uzbekistan and attacked the border guard post. Since Shavkat Mirziyoyev became Uzbek president in Sept last year, relations with Tajikistan have improved.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 325, published on April 17 2017)

French foreign minister visits Uzbekistan

Leave a Reply

APRIL 17 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — On a trip to Tashkent, French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault discussed improving security relations with Uzbekistan. Mr Ayrault is the most senior Western government official to visit Uzbekistan since Shavkat Mirziyoyev took over as president in September 2016. He has opened up the country to the West, including persuading the EBRD to start investing in Uzbekistan once again.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 325, published on April 17 2017)

Uzbek president sacks privatisation head

Leave a Reply

APRIL 14 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev fired the head of the government’s privatisation committee, Davron Hidoyatov, shortly after criticising him for not attracting enough foreign investment. The sacking of Mr Hidoyatov is part of Mr Mirziyoyev’s drive to freshen up his government’s approach to pulling in foreign investment. Mr Hidoyatov had been given the job in December 2014 by former president Islam Karimov.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 325, published on April 17 2017)

Money changers still operate in Uzbekistan

Leave a Reply

TASHKENT, APRIL 10 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Money changers still hawk for custom outside nearly all markets and shopping malls in Uzbekistan despite reports of a crackdown on the trade that has become a part of the Uzbek scene over the past 25 years.

A correspondent for the Conway Bulletin said that he had received around double the official Uzbek som/US dollar exchange rate on the Black Market. The Uzbek government has been devaluing the Uzbek som by around 1.4% per week since September last year. It now measures around 3,650 som.

Last month reports appeared that Uzbek police had been arresting money changers at some of Tashkent’s biggest markets. The Conway Bulletin correspondent, though, reported that money changers appeared to be operating with impunity, touting for business across the capital.

At rural markets, the correspondent said money changers carried wads of cash in bags and openly haggled with people looking to change som into US dollars.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)

After 25 years, Uzbek Air flies to Dushanbe

Leave a Reply

DUSHANBE, APRIL 11 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — After three aborted attempts blamed on a variety of different issues, Uzbekistan Airways made its first flight between Tashkent and Dushanbe for 25 years.

A spokesman at Dushanbe Airport said that the Uzbekistan Airways flight had landed at 8.03am local time. Earlier in the year a flight by the privately-owned Somon Air landed at Tashkent airport from Dushanbe.

The resumption of flights between the two capitals was considered a vital sign of improved relations between the neighbours. Uzbekistan Airways has said that it now intends to fly between Tashkent and Dushanbe twice a week.

Under Uzbek president Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan perused an isolationist policy, especially with regards to Tajikistan which he viewed virtually as a pariah state.

Karimov was particularly incensed by plans drawn up by his Tajik counterpart, Emomali Rakhmon, to build a dam across rivers that feed Uzbekistan’s cotton fields. His successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been more avuncular and has patched up damaged relations.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)

Uzbekistan to upgrade plastics plant

Leave a Reply

APRIL 4 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — State-owned Uzbekneftegaz plans a $400m expansion of its Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex in the south of the country, media reported by quoting officials from the plant. The plant is one of the biggest employers in the region and its expansion mirrors President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s call to boost industry and create more jobs. Media reports said that the expansion plan aims to boost output to 200,000 tonnes of polyethylene, a plastic, up from 75,000 tonnes currently.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)