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Satellite Internet Connection to Start Working in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Digital Development says that work has been completed on an interface station for the OneWeb non-geostationary communication network at the Kokterek Space Services Center. Officials expect to achieve technical readiness to provide commercial services this year. Work is also continuing on infrastructure at the Spacecraft Assembly and Test Complex in Astana. A project to build a constellation of medium-resolution satellites for remote sensing of the Earth has also been launched, with plans to replace the current KazEOSat-2. This new equipment will be used in various fields, including agriculture, emergency management and sustainable use of natural resources. EutelSat OneWeb is a unit of the EutelSat Group that provides broadband internet access using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. It was founded in 2012. At different times, Airbus, Qualcomm, Virgin Group and others have acted as investors in the company. In the spring of 2020, OneWeb filed for bankruptcy because it failed to agree with Japan's Softbank on a round of financing totaling $2 billion. Later, the company was saved by the British government, India's Bharti Global and EutelSat, before the latter company merged with OneWeb in September of 2023. It has been reported that villages in Kazakhstan have gained access to satellite internet from Starlink, one of Elon Musk's companies. Over 170 rural settlements are connected to the KazSat network, which provides broadband access to more than 17,000 people. The initiator of the joint project, minister of digital development Bagdat Musin, was fired on April 30 amid a scandal involving the leak of personal data of Kazakh citizens.

Central Asia Uzbekistan International Affairs Business & Economy Uzbekistan Business & Economy Uzbekistan International Affairs

Uzbekistan’s President Guarantees Protection of Foreign Investors’ Rights

Addressing the Tashkent International Investment Forum, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev remarked that in recent years, his country had attracted more than $60 billion in foreign investment, in over 300 joint industrial projects. Regarding the goal to attract further foreign partnerships, he continued, "Our state guarantees development of market relations, reliable protection of investors' rights, improvement of favorable investment and business environment, creation of wider opportunities and conditions for fair competition, ensuring inviolability of private property and independence of [our] judicial system." To achieve its aims, Uzbekistan has adopted a new version of the law "On Investments" in accordance with World Trade Organization (WTO) standards. Despite not yet ratified by Uzbekistan, the International Commercial Court (ICC), is already operating in the country, and the terms of land lease for foreign investors have been increased from 25 to 49 years. Uzbekistan's head of state also announced plans to introduce new approaches to the system of industrial zones, the management of which will involve experienced foreign companies. Drawing attention to the country's wealth of natural reserves, the president noted, " Our country has colossal resources of gold, copper, tungsten, silver and uranium. Along with rare and unique minerals, we have deposits of more than 30 rare earth metals such as lithium, magnesium, molybdenum, germanium, vanadium and indium. " He emphasized Uzbekistan's ongoing negotiations with the U.S. and the UK on cooperation in the field of critical raw materials (CRMs) and extended an invitation to leading companies to develop projects concerning the deep processing of strategic raw materials and the creation of a value-added chain of refining and processing. Mirziyoyev mentioned the forthcoming construction of the Trans-Afghan railroad and upgrades to existing international airports in Tashkent, Bukhara and Urgench planned with the cooperation of foreign investors, and with reference to improved logistics, stated, "These strategic projects will radically change the geo-economics situation in the region and turn Central Asia into a global transit centre connecting North and South, East and West." This year's Tashkent Investment Forum was attended by 2,500 delegates including government leaders, heads of major companies and representatives of the United Nations (UN), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Central Asia Uzbekistan International Affairs Business & Economy Uzbekistan Business & Economy Uzbekistan International Affairs

OPEC Fund to Allocate $500 Million for Tourism, Logistics Development in Uzbekistan

A delegation of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) International Development Fund headed by President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa participated in the events of the Tashkent International Investment Forum. The OPEC Fund and the Government of Uzbekistan signed agreements on joint activities and financial commitments worth $500 million. The funds will be used for the development of tourism, logistics, pharmaceuticals, ecology, support for women's entrepreneurship, and youth initiatives. The OPEC delegation will visit the facility of water supply and wastewater disposal in the Samarkand region, which was financed by the organization. This project provides the basic tools to improve health and living conditions for 70,000 local residents. For 25 years, the OPEC Fund has been working with Uzbekistan, providing it with $760 million in loans. This financial support has helped provide drinking water to remote areas and modernize Uzbekistan's energy sector. This year's Tashkent Investment Forum was attended by 2,500 delegates - government leaders, heads of major companies and representatives of the United Nations (UN), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Central Asia Kazakhstan Business & Economy Kazakhstan International Affairs Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Digitalization Eases Cargo Processing on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route

On 30 April , Singaporean company Global DTC gave a presentation of multimodal platforms Digital Trade Corridor and Tez Customs at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport. The demonstration reiterated benefits afforded by digitalization in ensuring transparency and high-speed transit of goods through Kazakhstan along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) connecting China and Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus. The DTC platform, and particularly its Track & Trace service, allows shippers to track the location of cargo and its customs status online, as well as update information on transport documents along the entire route. Work on the technical integration for Track & Trace in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan has now been completed, and its integration in Georgia is ongoing. Negotiations are also underway with Chinese and European partners. The introduction of the Tez Customs platform, by offering automated, paperless customs transit clearance, registration and electronic transit declaration, has reduced processing to just 30 minutes. During the first quarter of this year, cargo traffic along the TITR increased by 33% compared to the same period last year.

Central Asia Uzbekistan Business & Economy Uzbekistan Business & Economy

Uzbekistan Raises Its Poverty Line Due to Increases in Gas, Electricity Prices

Uzbekistan has updated its minimal poverty-defining level of consumer spending for the population to $51 from $48.9 dollars per month. This is already the second increase in the indicator since the beginning of the year, which is explained by rising gas and electricity prices. Minimum consumer spending is calculated in Uzbekistan based on the daily neds of citizens on means spent on food and non-food products and services. According to Picodi.com, Uzbekistan is among the top ten countries with the highest spending on food, with citizens spend 46.5% of their earnings on edibles. Overall, annual food inflation in the country reached one of its lowest levels in recent years in 2023, totaling 9.7% annually. In March 2024, food inflation contracted even more, to 7.8% annually, according to international data portal, Trading Economics. The Center for Economic Research and Reforms says that the country managed to lift more than a million Uzbeks out of poverty in 2023. This was due to higher wages, social payments, benefits, and increases in income from agriculture.

Central Asia Uzbekistan International Affairs Business & Economy Uzbekistan Business & Economy Uzbekistan International Affairs

American Company Launches CO2 Production in Uzbekistan

The American company Air Products is planning to open a carbon dioxide (CO2) production project in Uzbekistan. The corresponding agreement, worth $15 million, was signed with Navoi Nitrogen (Navoiazot) chemical complex. The plant will be the first and so far the only one of its kind in Uzbekistan, and will use untreated CO2 captured at the ammonia production line. Production of high-purity carbon dioxide will allow its use in beverage production, food packaging, welding mixtures, for blast freezing of food products, the agro-industrial complex, greenhouses, water purification, dry ice production, and more. The plant, which will have a capacity of 120 tons of CO2 per day, will reduce the consumption of natural gas, which is currently the main source of CO2 generation. "Using CO2 in greenhouses allows farmers to harvest 20-40 percent more crops. For example, in Holland and Spain, 60 percent to 90 percent of greenhouses use carbon dioxide to enrich the atmosphere. Uzbekistan's agriculture has great potential, and competent use of CO2 will allow it to achieve excellent results," believes Kirill Korotkov, commercial director for Air Products Uzbekistan. Air Products began operations in Uzbekistan in 2019, and to date has implemented a number of projects in the oil & gas and chemical industries. In September 2023, during a working visit of Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev to New York, he met with Air Products's chairman Seifi Ghasemi. The parties considered the expansion of their strategic partnership -- with investments totaling up to $1 billion.