Tag Archives: Uzbekistan

Uzbeks prepare to back Mirziyoyev as their second post-Soviet president

TASHKENT, DEC. 2 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Even last month, it was clear to Uzbeks who was going to win a presidential election on Dec. 4.

“It is already known who is going to be our new president,” laughed Farkhod, 55, a resident of Samarkand. “But still I am fine with him.”

The “him” is Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan’s PM and acting president since Islam Karimov died on Sept. 2.

And on a tour of Uzbekistan’s two main cities — Tashkent and Samarkand — Mr Mirziyoyev appeared to be a genuinely popular choice to replace Karimov. He’s also had the advantage of looking presidential by leading Karimov’s funeral and hosting various world leaders, such as Russian president Vladimir Putin and Turkish president Recep Erdogan.

For Saidaziz, 21, a student in Tashkent, stability was the key issue. “I am going to vote for Mirziyoyev, as it seems that he is going to continue the line of Islam Karimov,” she said.

Not everybody is as enthusiastic, though. An Uzbek academic who preferred not to be named said that Mr Mirziyoyev had a reputation for being excessively strict.

“As far as I know, Karimov did not choose Mirziyoyev as his successor, as he was aware of the methods the latter prefers to use,” he said in hushed tones between sips of tea in a Tashkent cafe.

Still, for most Uzbeks, Mr Mirziyoyev’s moves to open up the country and to create jobs through major infrastructure projects are welcome.

The economy has been in the doldrums for two years and needs stimulating. Alexander, a 54-year-old plumber in Tashkent said that a change of president would have little impact on ordinary people.

“The elite will decide who becomes president, without our participation, but there won’t be any revolution from ordinary Uzbeks,” he said. “Creating a stable political system, like the one in America is more important task.”

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(News report from Issue No. 307, published on Dec. 2 2016)

Uzbekistan’s acting-president signals changes to currency controls

NOV. 29 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan’s acting-president Shavkat Mirziyoyev published a draft decree on the presidential website laying out what appeared to be a manifesto to liberalise some of the tightest currency controls in the world.

In the draft decree, Mr Mirziyoyev wrote that restrictions would be lifted on foreign companies working in Uzbekistan and on Uzbeks taking money out of the country.

The document said that the main aims of the reforms were to “stimulate growth of the country’s export potential, improve the competitive- ness of domestic producers in foreign and domestic markets” and to “create equal conditions for all participants of foreign economic activity during their foreign exchange operations and the prohibition of the practice of privileges and preferences to individual companies or sectors”.

Specifically, the document said Uzbeks would be allowed to take up to $10,000 out of the country. Currently, Uzbeks are banned from taking cash out of the country. Foreign companies working in Uzbekistan have also complained about restrictions on repatriating profits. Under the draft regulations this should be easier.

Uzbekistan also operates a dual exchange rate with the official and the Black Market rate varying widely.

The draft legislation on the presidential website didn’t specifically tackle the issue of the dual exchange rates but loosening currency controls should bring them together.

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(News report from Issue No. 307, published on Dec. 2 2016)

Uzbekistan seals military deal with Russia

NOV. 29 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russia and Uzbekistan have signed a deal that will improve their military cooperation, media reported quoting the Russian defence ministry. It said that one of the main aims of the agreement was to update Uzbekistan’s military with modern Russian-made equipment. The deal highlights both the more open nature of Uzbekistan since Islam Karimov, president since 1991, died in September and the influence that Russia has over the region.

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(News report from Issue No. 307, published on Dec. 2 2016)

Flights resume between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

NOV. 30 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Commercial aeroplanes will fly between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan from January 2017, for the first time in 25 years, media reported quoting civil aviation officials from both countries. Relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been poor for years as the countries have rowed, mainly about water supplies. Under acting- president Shavkat Mirziyoyev, though, Uzbekistan has worked to improve relations with its neighbours.

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(News report from Issue No. 307, published on Dec. 2 2016)

Comment: Under Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan may open up, says Kilner

DEC. 2 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Shavkat Mirziyoyev will be confirmed as Uzbekistan’s president at an election on Dec. 4, a move that bodes well for ordinary Uzbeks, for the country’s neighbours and for investors. Potentially at least.

Mirziyoyev will govern with a core team of ministers that includes Rustam Inoyatov, the Uzbek intelligence chief, and finance minister Rustam Azimov. They take over from Islam Karimov, a difficult, cantankerous man who died from a stroke on Sept. 2 after ruling for 25 years.

Uzbekistan is one of the most secretive and closed-off regimes in the world but if the early signs are borne out, and there needs to be plenty of caveats, the tantalising prospect of a more open Uzbekistan is in sight.

Uzbeks need permission to leave, a deeply entrenched network of informants keeps tabs on people’s activities, forced labour is used each year to pick the massive cotton harvest, opposition journalists and politicians are locked up, corruption is beyond rife and foreign investors have found it all but impossible to keep their assets from being grabbed by the state.

Now Mirziyoyev has appeared to want to move Uzbekistan onto a new trajectory. He has talked up the prospect of investing in large infrastructure projects which will create jobs. He has also promised to strengthen the independence of the Uzbek courts and said that police will now no longer be able to raid businesses and shops on the pretext of various transgressions, an issue which had stifled private business.

Of course, talk and signing documents is cheap but importantly, also, Mirziyoyev has looked to improve relations with Uzbekistan’s neighbours, in particular with Kyrgyzstan.

Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have for years argued over their shared border around the Ferghana Valley and at times this year, conflict has appeared likely. Now, since Karimov’s death, Mirziyoyev has ordered his officials to mend relations with Kyrgyzstan. Officials from both sides have posed for photo-ops shaking hands and documents have been signed agreeing deals on the border disputes.

Under Karimov, this detente had never seemed likely. Under Mirziyoyev Uzbek-Kyrgyz relations have suddenly never been better.

These are early days, and we are not about to witness a tectonic shift towards full-scale liberalism but increments are important and Uzbekistan under its new leadership may be headed in a more benign direction.

By James Kilner, Editor, The Conway Bulletin

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(News report from Issue No. 307, published on Dec. 2 2016)

ODHIR starts short-term mission in Uzbekistan

NOV. 27 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — The OSCE’s election monitoring arm, ODHIR, started its short-term mission in Uzbekistan ahead of the Dec. 4 presidential election. ODHIR’s long-term mission has been in Uzbekistan since the start of November. This is its biggest ever mission to Uzbekistan, where ODHIR has never judged an election to be either free or fair. Islam Karimov died in September after ruling the country for 25 years.

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(News report from Issue No. 307, published on Dec. 2 2016)

Rostelmash to open plant in Uzbekistan

NOV. 29 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Rostselmash, a Russian manufacturer of agricultural equipment, said it plans to establish a plant in Uzbekistan. The Rostov-on-Don company plans to occupy the site that it operated during Soviet times in the township of Chirchiq, in the outskirts of Tashkent. Rostselmash had opened the Chirchiq factory and three other plants in Tashkent in the 1940s.

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(News report from Issue No. 307, published on Dec. 2 2016)

Uzbek authorities free political prisoner

NOV. 24 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Uzbek authorities freed from prison 72-year-old Samandar Kukanov, described by human rights groups as one of the country’s longest surviving political prisoners. Human rights activist also said that the authorities in Uzbekistan had released Tohar Haydarov, a convert to Christianity, who was jailed in 2000 on drug related charges. Mr Kukanov, who opposed former president Islam Karimov, was imprisoned for 20 years in 1994 on embezzlement charges. This sentence was extended by two years in 2004. The release of Mr Kukanov may have been timed to soften acting president Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s image before an election on Dec. 4.

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(News report from Issue No. 306, published on Nov. 25 2016)

Russia approves military deals with Uzbekistan

NOV. 18 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russian PM Dmitri Medvedev approved an agreement to develop military technology ties between Russia and Uzbekistan, an early indication that ties between the two countries are already improving less than two months after the death of former president Islam Karimov. Acting president Shavkat Mirziyoyev has made improving Uzbekistan’s international relations a priority. Russian president Vladimir Putin was one of the first foreign leaders to visit Uzbekistan after the death of Karimov in September.

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(News report from Issue No. 306, published on Nov. 25 2016)

Japan’s Mitsubishi signs second power plant deal in Uzbekistan

NOV. 21 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation won a contract to build a 900MW combined-cycle power plant in the Ferghana Valley in eastern Uzbekistan, a critical development for the country’s power generation sector.

This is Mitsubishi’s second deal in Uzbekistan in the past month. In October, it agreed to build a second co-generation station at the Navoi thermal power plant. In July 2015, Mitsubishi had won a tender to build a fertiliser plant in Navoi.

Mitsubishi said that the Japanese and Uzbek government will finance construction of the Turakurgan Thermal Power Station.

“This project will be financed by an Official Development Assistance (ODA) Loan provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Uzbek government funds,” the company said in a statement.

The parties did not disclose the value of the contract, this secrecy is not unusual in Uzbekistan, but an earlier assessment of the project said it would cost $704m.

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(News report from Issue No. 306, published on Nov. 25 2016)