Uzbekistan Life & Culture - The Times Of Central Asia

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Uzbekistan and Hungary Expand Economic Cooperation

On May 7, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Peter Szijjártó at the 9th meeting of the Uzbek-Hungarian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in Taskent. Focus was placed on cooperation on projects in industry, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, fish farming, logistics, and real estate construction, with added emphasis on the importance of accelerating the launch of a special economic zone for projects conducted by Hungarian and European companies in the Tashkent region. Co-chaired by Peter Szijjártó and the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov, the meeting also addressed the further development of cooperation in investment, industrial, trade and economic, banking, cultural and humanitarian sectors. It was stated that over the past 5 years, Uzbek-Hungarian trade turnover has doubled and in the first quarter of 2024 alone, bilateral trade grew six-fold compared to the same period in 2023. Measures to increase bilateral trade include the launch of “Meet Uzbekistan” programs to promote Uzbek products in Budapest’s large retail chains, as well as the organization of roadshows for Uzbek manufacturers in Hungary’s largest cities. Both sides stressed the importance of diversifying transport routes, liberalizing permits for bilateral and transit transportation, resuming direct flights between Tashkent and Budapest, and organizing a logistics hub for Uzbek products in Hungary. Note was made of Hungarian companies’ implementation of projects worth almost $500 million in Uzbekistan, and thanks expressed for Hungary’s provision of a state scholarship ‘Stipendium Hungaricum’ which enables some 300 Uzbek students to study at its universities.

Uzbekistan Kyrgyzstan Life & Culture Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Uzbekistan Life & Culture

Kyrgyzstan to Create New Village for Citizens Resettled from the Barak Exclave

On May 6, during a visit to the southern Osh region, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov launched the construction of a new village for Kyrgyz citizens resettled from the Barak exclave. Speaking at the ceremony, the head of state emphasized the historical significance of the initiative, explaining that since the village of Barak was an exclave located in Uzbekistan, its residents had spent many years in partial isolation and experienced difficulties in traveling between to and from the Kyrgyz mainland. Back in November 2022, an agreement ‘On the delimitation of certain sections of the state border between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Uzbekistan’ was signed in Bishkek. According to the document, Uzbekistan gave a portion of its land to Kyrgyzstan in exchange for the Barak exclave. The Kyrgyz government completed its plan to resettle Barak exclave residents just last month. The new village, to be known as ‘Jany-Barak’ or ‘New Barak’ and spanning 38 hectares, will comprise 101 new houses, due for completion by 31 August,. In addition, plots will be allocated for the construction of residential buildings for 164 citizens. Plans for the social infrastructure, includes a school, sports facilities, and a medical center.

Central Asia Uzbekistan Life & Culture Uzbekistan Life & Culture Uzbekistan International Affairs

EBRD Funds Upgrade of Major Highway in Uzbekistan

On 2 May, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced the allocation of a loan of up to $238 million (€224 million) towards the renovation of around 81 km of the 4R156 road, as well as the construction of a bridge across the Amu Darya River in the Khorezm region of western Uzbekistan. The road is a strategically important section of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Corridor 2a, linking the region’s administrative centre, Urgench, with the A380 road to Kazakhstan. The loan will transform the current single-carriageway category-II road into a dual-carriageway category-I road, and in addition, help upgrade supporting infrastructure along the 4R156 road. Once completed, the new road with its much-improved throughput capacity, will stimulate both trade and tourism in Khorezm. EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso commented: “We are supporting this project because it meets our strategic objectives for Uzbekistan and Central Asia. It is also part of the global transport and logistics infrastructure solutions covered by the European Union’s (EU) Global Gateway initiative.” In January 2024, at the Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity in Brussels, the EBRD expressed its readiness to invest around €1.5 billion in Trans-Caspian Corridor-related infrastructure and associated transport solutions over the next 2-3 years.

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Uzbekistan Opens New Museum Commemorating WW2 Japanese POWs

On 30 April, Uzbekistan Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov joined by Ambassador of Japan to Uzbekistan Hatori Takashi, founder and director of the museum, Jalil Sultanov, and representatives of the Japan Society in Uzbekistan to celebrate the opening of a new museum in Tashkent commemorating Japanese prisoners of war. Over 20,000 Japanese POWs captured by the Soviet Union during the second world war, were interned in Uzbekistan between 1945-1950. During this period, the prisoners were dispersed across the country to construct buildings, dams, and roads in regions including Angren, Bekabad, and Kokand, and in Tashkent, built the Alisher Navoi Opera Theatre, the Mukini Theatre, the Central Telegraph and Ministry of Culture, as well as barracks still in use today. According to estimates, 817 died in the process. The new premises, under construction since 2023, replace the original museum founded in May 1998. Housing photographs, documents, and artefacts, such as prisoners’ workwear and a wooden crib made for the local market, the collections testify to the lives of Japanese POWs in Uzbekistan, and given a new lease of life, are expected to become a major draw for Japanese tourists visiting the country.

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EU Gives Uzbekistan’s Agriculture Another Boost

On April 25 the European Union presented €6 million ($6.4 million) to the Uzbek government to support the country's National Food Security and Healthy Nutrition Strategy. Alongside the grant the EU has also provided funds to help the Ministry of Agriculture to carry out its planning reforms. Further funding of €20 million ($21.4 million) will be issued later this year and next, in support of Uzbekistan's National Agriculture Development Strategy for 2020-2030. The overall objective is the establishment of more market-orientated and sustainable agriculture and food sectors, and subsequently, the creation of more jobs and better access to safe and nutritious food for people in Uzbekistan. “The agri-food sector is critical for Uzbekistan’s economy and is a major source of employment,” commented the EU's ambassador to Uzbekistan Charlotte Adriaen. “Family-run or ‘dekhan’ farms produce most of the meat and vegetables consumed by Uzbek citizens. Our focus is therefore on those reforms that enable these farms to prosper, adapt to a changing climate, protect the environment, produce healthy food, and become part of local and global value chains. The grant funding together with other European Union initiatives such as GSP+ will also help to boost exports to the EU.” The European Union is Uzbekistan’s main funder of developments in the agriculture and food sectors. Between 2020-2023 it provided grants totaling €32.5 million ($35 million).

Central Asia Uzbekistan International Affairs Uzbekistan Life & Culture Uzbekistan International Affairs

Samarkand to Host Asian Women’s Forum Next Month

The Asian Women's Forum will be held in Samarkand this May, where participants will discuss the situation surrounding women's rights in the countries of Central and Southeast Asia. The forum will discuss issues related to expanding women's rights, and reducing poverty in the region by involving women in entrepreneurship. Sessions will pay special attention to the role of parliaments in stimulating women's participation in business, gender-oriented budgeting, elimination of gender disparity, and eradication of all forms of violence against women and children. The participants will also focus on modern approaches and best practices in promoting the green economy, the impact of climate change on gender issues in the region -- as well as protection of women's rights and interests. Women are now a driving force in all aspects of life in Central Asia. Addressing the 78th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, Chairwoman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis (bicameral parliament) of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbayeva said that "the attitude towards women has fundamentally changed in the country. Much attention is [being] paid to their education, mastering professions and foreign languages -- as well as to the development of women's entrepreneurship." To date, Uzbekistan has adopted more than 40 legal and regulatory acts to improve the status of women in society, established the National Agency for Social Protection, which, among other things, provides targeted assistance to women and works specifically on the social adaptation of women returned from conflict zones in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.