Our People > Sadokat Jalolova

Sadokat Jalolova

Journalist

Jalolova has worked as a reporter for some time in local newspapers and websites in Uzbekistan, and has enriched her knowledge in the field of journalism through courses at the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Amsterdam on the Coursera platform.

Articles

Justice

Switzerland to Return $182 Million in Confiscated Gulnara Karimova Assets to Uzbekistan

On February 6, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Justice, Akbar Tashkulov, and Switzerland’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Konstantin Obolensky, signed an agreement on the repatriation of confiscated assets, the Uzbek Ministry of Justice reported. Under the agreement, approximately $182 million will be returned to Uzbekistan. These funds were illegally obtained by certain Uzbek citizens and were fully confiscated in 2012 by the Swiss Prosecutor General’s Office as part of criminal proceedings against Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of former President Islam Karimov. The money will be transferred through the United Nations Uzbekistan Vision 2030 Fund Multi-Partner Trust Fund. This is not the first such agreement. In August 2022, Uzbekistan and Switzerland signed a similar agreement in Bern, outlining principles and mechanisms for returning illegally acquired assets. That agreement confirmed that the returned funds would be used for the benefit of Uzbekistan’s population through the UN trust fund. Under the 2022 agreement, Uzbekistan was set to receive around $131 million. With this latest deal, the total amount of repatriated funds will now reach $313 million. The Uzbekistan Vision 2030 Fund will allocate these funds to socially significant projects, particularly in healthcare and education.

1 year ago

Water Management

Uzbekistan to Supply 16 Billion Cubic Meters of Water to Kazakhstan by October 2025

Uzbekistan has agreed to supply 16 billion cubic meters of water to Kazakhstan by October 1, 2025, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. This agreement was reached during the 12th meeting of the Joint Working Group on Bilateral Water Cooperation, attended by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Water Resources, Shavkat Khamrayev. In the previous water-sharing period (October 2023 - October 2024), Kazakhstan received 15 billion cubic meters of water. This year, the allocation will increase by 1 billion cubic meters. Uzbekistan has also pledged to ensure a stable water supply through the Dostyk Canal during the 2025 irrigation season. Additionally, both countries have agreed to carry out joint repairs on interstate canals to improve water access for farmers in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region and Uzbekistan’s Jizzakh region. A key topic of discussion was the automation of water metering in the Syr Darya River. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have identified 10 monitoring points (five in each country) where automated water tracking systems will be installed. The technical specifications for a feasibility study have been approved. Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation announced that a follow-up meeting with international organizations is planned for February to discuss further implementation steps. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, Kazakhstan is set to receive 11 billion cubic meters of irrigation water by April 2025 under a regional agreement reached in Dushanbe. The deal was signed at a meeting of Central Asian water officials from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The water will flow into the Shardara Reservoir in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region via the Syr Darya River. Of this amount, 1.6 billion cubic meters will be allocated to the Aral Sea to help support its ecosystem.

1 year ago

Economic Cooperation

Uzbekistan to Import Afghan Coal in $4.5 Million Trade Deal

Uzbekistan has agreed to import coal from Afghanistan as part of efforts to balance bilateral trade, Tasnim News Agency reported. During a meeting in Kabul, an Uzbek delegation expressed its readiness to purchase Afghan coal, resulting in the signing of trade agreements worth $4.5 million between private companies from both countries. The discussions also covered trade privileges, plans to construct a cement plant in Afghanistan’s Samangan region, and the organization of joint exhibitions. In May 2024, Uzbekistan’s Transport Minister, Ilhom Mahkamov, led a delegation to Afghanistan, where he met with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. During the talks, both sides agreed that a technical team would visit Kabul to finalize the purchase of over one million tons of coal. Meanwhile, in July 2023, the Kyrgyz government raised the price of coal exported to Uzbekistan by 37%. According to the National Statistics Committee of Kyrgyzstan, from January to May 2024, Kyrgyzstan exported 302,000 tons of coal to Uzbekistan for $12.7 million—1,000 tons less than the same period in 2023, when 303,000 tons were sold for $9.2 million. Kyrgyz coal suppliers have not commented on the price increase. This week, business representatives from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signed a $4.5 million trade agreement. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade announced the deal, stating that it was signed by private sector representatives from both countries.

1 year ago

Justice

Uzbek National Arrested in Florida Voter Fraud Case

An Uzbek national residing in Florida been arrested for allegedly submitting fraudulent voter registration applications, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced. According to U.S. authorities, Sanjar Jamilov, a 33-year-old Uzbek citizen living in the Florida town of St. Petersburg, conspired to file 132 false applications with election officials in Pinellas County in early 2023. The fraudulent applications, submitted under different names, exhibited clear signs of irregularity, including identical formatting, repeated birth dates, and nearly sequential Social Security numbers. The suspects also directed election-related mail to addresses they controlled. Jamilov has been charged with conspiracy to commit voter registration fraud and providing false information during registration. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. The arrests come shortly after the U.S. presidential election in November 2024, in which Republican candidate Donald Trump won and has recently begun his second term. Authorities have emphasized that investigations are ongoing, and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

1 year ago

Trade

Uzbekistan and Afghanistan Sign $4.5M Trade Deal as Economic Ties Grow

Business representatives from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have signed a $4.5 million trade agreement, Tasnim News reported on February 3. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade announced the deal, stating that it was signed by private sector representatives from both countries. Afghanistan is Uzbekistan’s fifth-largest export market. Over the past five years, trade between the two countries has grown by nearly 1.5 times, reaching $866 million in 2023. Currently, 550 Afghan-invested enterprises operate in Uzbekistan, 443 of which are fully Afghan-owned. Joint projects are ongoing in food production, construction materials, agriculture, tourism, and textiles. Beyond trade agreements, both countries are discussing broader economic cooperation. In August 2024, an Uzbek delegation led by Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov visited Afghanistan. During the meetings, both sides emphasized their goal of increasing trade turnover to $1 billion in 2024, with a long-term target of $3 billion. Officials stressed the need to tap into new economic opportunities on a mutually beneficial basis. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, in October 2024, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Oil signed a 10-year contract with an Uzbek company for gas exploration and production in the Tuti Maidan gas field in Jawzjan province. The project is expected to bring in about $1 billion in investment to the region’s gas sector.

1 year ago