JULY 6 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan has, arguably, the world’s most experienced football referee. Ravshan Irmatov, 36, made history by taking charge of his ninth World Cup game, a record, at the quarter-final between the Netherlands and Costa Rica. Uzbekistan’s national football team has never qualified for the World Cup finals.
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(News report from Issue No. 193, published on July 30 2014)
JULY 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Tashkent reportedly sentenced to jail 13 associates of Gulnara Karimov, the eldest daughter of Uzbek president Islam Karimov.
The prison terms for the 13 people severely damage Ms Karimova and will virtually end any hopes she may have harboured of succeeding her father. She had been touted as a potential successor but her position has been steadily undermined over the past year by rivals.
Ms Karimova has not been seen in public for several months. Her London-based son has said that she is under house arrest in Tashkent.
Among those sentenced to jail for tax evasion and money laundering were Ms Karimova’s alleged boyfriend Rustam Madumarov and Gayane Avakyan. Ms Avakyan is an ethnic Armenian and one of Ms Karimova’s most loyal associates. She has been implicated in a major money laundering case involving Swedish-Finnish telecoms company TeliaSonera in 2007.
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(News report from Issue No. 193, published on July 30 2014)
JULY 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, visited Tashkent, a hugely symbolic gesture between the two countries. Relations between Uzbekistan and Turkey have been stained over the past few years and Mr Davutoglu was the first Turkish foreign minister to visit Tashkent for 10 years.
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(News report from Issue No. 193, published on July 30 2014)
JULY 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Uzbekistan has annulled a takeover of cement producer Akhangarancement by Russia’s Eurocement in 2006, paving the way for the state to renationalise it. The ruling is a blow for foreign businesses in Uzbekistan and underlines their suspicion of the Uzbek government.
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(News report from Issue No. 193, published on July 30 2014)
JULY 7 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Remittances to Uzbekistan from workers in Russia decreased by nearly 10% in the first quarter of the year, compared to the same period in 2013, media reported quoting the Central Bank. This is roughly similar to figures reported by other countries in the former Soviet Union and reflect Russia’s weakened economic state.
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(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)
JULY 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – More reports have surfaced from Uzbekistan of mass arrests in the Uzbek security services.
Last month, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that police detained roughly 100 people in Ukraine’s customs service on various accounts of corruption now, it appears, 40 members of the security services have been arrested.
Sources told RFE/RL that Colonel Javdat Sharifhojaev, a powerful member of the security services, was among those arrested.
It’s unclear if the latest arrests are linked to the very public row between the daughter of Uzbek president Islam Karimov and the security services or, instead, if these various detentions are the result of a genuine anti-corruption drive that it appears to have launched.
It could also be a turf war between the various, and powerful, departments of the security services.
Uzmetronom.com, a website linked to the Uzbek authorities, said that the Uzbek authorities had decided to increase penalties against officials for taking bribes.
The Uzbek authorities, apparently, declined to confirm the detention of the various officials.
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(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)
JULY 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan has given a green light for Russian mobile operator MTS to re-start work in the country after it withdrew following a row in 2012, various local media reported quoting security forces. Media said that MTS would resume operations in Uzbekistan by the end of 2012.
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(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)
JULY 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Eurocement, a Russian company linked to oligarch Filaret Galchev, will build a factory near Tashkent, media reported. The $128m plant will take two years to build. The announcement is an indicator that Russian business is interested in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan and Russia have had strained relations.
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(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)
JUNE 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Media in Uzbekistan reported that a drought in the south of the country means that crop expectations are low.
The uznews.net opposition website said that harvest would be 50% lower than normal on rain-fed crops.
“It did not rain this April and we expect smaller harvests,” uznews.net quoted a farmer as saying.
Officials have not commented although signs of drought are important for policymakers. Droughts and a lack of income can trigger social discontent. Throughout the year, reports have surfaced from Uzbekistan of rising prices.
Uzbekistan is particularly prone to drought. Much of its agriculture is under-resourced and lacking in investment and the land is generally arid. A government report in 2012 said that 76% of the population was living in areas at risk of drought.
And the timing of the uznews.net report is pertinent. The state’s Committee for Natural Protection organised a roundtable on June 29 specifically to discuss desertification and drought in Uzbekistan. The World Bank and the Asian Development all provide various forms of financial assistance aimed at reducing drought in Uzbekistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)
JUNE 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Uzbekistan fined Said Abdurakhimov, a local journalist who reports critical stories, roughly $4,000 for supposedly spreading panic and working without the correct accreditation. The police detained Mr Abdurakhimov after he reported on the demolition of homes to build a new motorway.
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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)
