Uzbekistan International Affairs - The Times Of Central Asia

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Uzbekistan Considers Hosting Relocated Ukrainian Enterprises

Representatives of Uzbek and Ukrainian businesses have discussed the relocation of certain Ukrainian production enterprises to Uzbekistan. The meeting was held in Kyiv as part of a business council established in 2021. Heads of state bodies and businessmen -- including the founder of the korzinka.uz supermarket chain and co-founder of Newmax Technologies, Zafar Hashimov -- participated in the meeting to offer their perspectives on Ukrainian-Uzbek economic ties. Since the beginning of Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022 the countries' bilateral trade turnover has significantly decreased -- in 2023 it amounted to $320 million, down from $747 million in 2021. One of the issues discussed was the customs value of textile products exported from Uzbekistan to Ukraine. An important aspect of the discussion were proposals to transfer to Uzbekistan some Ukrainian production enterprises affected by military actions -- as well as to expand cooperation in the creative economy. Several Ukrainian investment projects are already being implemented in Uzbekistan. The pharmaceutical company Yuria-Pharm acquired the Reka-Myod enterprise in 2023. Another pharmaceutical company, Lekhim, entered the Uzbek market in 2021 and built a large production complex that opened in 2023.

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Uzbek Military Receives NATO Training

Young recruits from Uzbekistan's armed forces have been gaining new skills with military professionals from NATO. Senior staff from NATO recently visited Uzbekistan's military training center, affiliated to the country's Ministry of Defense. Uzbek cadets were given classes on a number of subjects, including on how non-commissioned officers are trained in NATO member states. Uzbekistan's army ranked 65th out of 145 countries in the most recent PowerIndex rating. The country's defense sector conducts international exercises on a regular basis; last October Uzbek servicemen won an army competition in South Korea, while this year the training range in the city of Termez will host joint exercises with the Indian military. Uzbekistan cooperates with NATO under the Partnership for Peace program.

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Migrant Laborers in Russia Deprived of Free Medical Care

Citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan working in Russia will not be able to count on free medical care until 2026 within the framework of compulsory medical insurance (CMI), according to a report by the Ministry of Health of Russia. Based on agreements with the republics, citizens can be employed only if they acquire voluntary medical insurance (VMI) policies or with the employer's guarantee to pay for medical care at his or her own expense. Migrants can only receive free emergency medical care. The Crocus City Hall terrorist attack prompted the Russian Interior Ministry to take a number of restrictive measures relating to migrants. Among the planned changes are a reduction in the term of temporary stays by foreigners to 90 days per calendar year, introduction of mandatory biometric identification at entry, and the creation of digital profiles for foreigners. There are also more radical proposals. For example, Sergei Mironov, chairman of the Just Russia - For Truth political party, said that he believes it's necessary to introduce a visa regime between Russia and Central Asian countries. Labor migrants remain one of the most vulnerable parts of the population, and Uzbekistan has in recent years taken a number of measures to protect their interests both inside and outside the country. A recent decree by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev provides for reimbursement of expenses for taking qualification exams in foreign languages and professional trades of up to $80, for applying for a work visa of up to $134, and for buying travel tickets of up to $53. In addition, migrants are provided with subsidies for insurance for the migrant laborer and his or her family members, as well as guaranteed free medical examinations for them. Workers abroad whose rights may have been violated can count on free legal counsel. They can also contact 24-hour migrant support call centers in case of difficult situations. The Ministry of Employment of Uzbekistan is currently negotiating the opening of representative offices or centers in Great Britain (London), Germany (Berlin), Turkey (Istanbul) and Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) to provide legal assistance to migrant workers. The state employs workers returning from labor migration or provides subsidies to start their own businesses.

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Taliban Returns 120,000 Liters of Uzbek Oil Products Over Low-Quality

The National Department of Standards of Afghanistan has reported that it returned two tanker trucks worth of oil products with a volume of 120,000 liters from the port of Hairatan back to Uzbekistan. According to Radio Television of Afghanistan (RTA) English, the reason for this was the low quality of the imported refined products. Furthermore, the National Administration of Standards sent back another 19 oil tankers from Sheikh Abu Nasr Farahi Port to Iran over their low-quality. The standards board once again asked Afghan businessmen to prevent the import of low-quality goods into the country. In January of this year, it was reported that the Taliban returned more than 62 tons of low-quality oil to Uzbekistan through the Hairatan border point. In response to this, Uzbekneftgaz Chairman Bahadir Sidikov said the report was misinterpreted, and that the oil products returned by the Taliban was of high quality. Sidikov stated that the product was returned not because of its low quality, but because its standard isn't available in Afghanistan. "This new product was supposed to enter the Afghan market. Unfortunately, the first batch was sent back. But it’s a process. It will not be easy to enter every market. To prove the quality of this product, we sold 1,000 tons of the same diesel to Estonia last month. They received it as a “premium” and ordered 10,000 tons [more]. Currently, we are producing 10,000 tons of [oil] products. In addition, there are inter-governmental agreements," commented Sidikov at that time.

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Central Asian and Gulf Cooperation Council Countries Engage in Strategic Dialogue

The 2nd Ministerial Meeting of Strategic Dialogue ‘Central Asia – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’, hosted by Tashkent on April 15, was attended by top diplomats from Central Asia and six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, and Bahrain. Aimed at strengthening comprehensive cooperation between Central Asia and Gulf Cooperation Council states, discussions focused on political, security, trade, economic, investment, transport and logistics, environmental protection, green energy, cultural and humanitarian issues. In his address, Alibek Bakayev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, emphasized the importance of strengthening trade relations between the two regions and encouraged the Gulf States to actively participate in the implementation of joint investment projects in both Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. In addition, he outlined various initiatives currently in operation in Kazakhstan including expanding the activities of the Islamic Organization for Food Security and exploiting the potential of the International Technopark of IT start-ups, ‘Astana Hub’. Reporting on the outcome of the Ministerial Meeting, Uzbekistan’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Bakhromjon Aloyev stated that participants had unanimously agreed to a further summit of the Central Asia – Gulf Arab States Strategic Dialogue, to be held in Samarkand in 2025. The ‘Central Asia – GCC’ dialogue platform was launched in 2022 and the first Ministerial Meeting took place that September in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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Uzbekistan to Hold CIS Anti-Terror Exercise for First Time in 2024

Uzbekistan will host a joint anti-terrorism exercise of countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS, for the first time this year. The decision comes at a time of heightened concern after gunmen killed more than 140 people at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22. The Islamic State group, which is said in some quarters to be seeking to recruit more people from Central Asia, claimed responsibility. The suspected gunmen were Tajik migrants in Russia. Last week’s decision for Uzbekistan to host the drill coincided with a meeting on Friday in Minsk, Belarus, of foreign ministers of the CIS, a group of regional countries that was formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia and the Central Asian nations are among the members. An advisory council of the anti-terrorism center of the CIS discussed countering the use of unmanned vehicles and artificial intelligence by extremists, as well as “prospects for the development and use of unmanned aircraft systems in the field of security,” the CIS stated. The advisory council also discussed ways to combat “the use of modern digital tools by international terrorist organizations to finance terrorist and extremist activities,” it said.