NOV. 7 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Uzbek Prosecutor-General’s office said it was investigating the alleged kidnapping last year of an employee of Gulnara Karimova, eldest daughter of Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov. Observers said the case may be designed to heap more pressure on Ms Karimova who is embroiled in a battle to keep assets and influence.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
NOV. 12 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — RIA-Novosti, a Russian news agency connected to the Kremlin, quoted the chairman of the Uzbek Senate, Ilgizar Sobirov, as saying that Uzbekistan would, potentially, be interested in joining the Russia-led Customs Union. Uzbekistan has previously shown little interest in joining the trade bloc.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
NOV. 11 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Looking to stem fuel shortages, Uzbekistan has agreed a deal with neighbouring Turkmenistan to import oil to Uzbek refineries, media reported quoting a subsidiary of the Uzbek state-run energy company Uzbekneftegaz. Oil production in Uzbekistan has been decreasing and its three refineries are running below capacity.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
OCT. 31 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — With Uzbekistan being a secretive sort of place, grabbing titbits of genuine economic data to analyse is important.
This is where Russia’s Central Bank has helped out. It said on Oct. 31 that labour migrants from Uzbekistan sent $1.6b back home in the second quarter of the year, that’s April, May and June.
For the poor of Central Asia, Russia is the obvious place to head to for work. It is the former colonial master, speaks the same language and needs plenty of labourers.
In the first quarter of 2013, Uzbek migrants sent $1b back home. Most of the migrants, like many from Central Asia, work in the construction industry in Russia. Altogether, it looks as if migrant workers send roughly $5b to $6b back to Uzbekistan every year which equals about 10% of Uzbekistan’s total GDP.
Uzbekistan doesn’t publish remittance data, making the Russian Central Bank data so important.
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(News report from Issue No. 159, published on Nov. 6 2013)
OCT. 31 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek President Islam Karimov met with Meng Jiangzhu, a member of China’s ruling politburo and cochair of the Uzbekistan-China inter-governmental committee, in Tashkent. China has become increasingly friendly with Uzbekistan over the past year.
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(News report from Issue No. 159, published on Nov. 6 2013)
NOV. 4 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — US car maker GM will add production of the Chevrolet Gentra to its plant in Uzbekistan later this year, media reported. The plant is a major component of Uzbekistan’s car industry. Media also quoted a senior official at Uzavtosanoat, the state-linked car production company, saying the industry was now worth $3b a year.
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(News report from Issue No. 159, published on Nov. 6 2013)
OCT. 31 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — At a review of torture allegations, the UN Committee Against Torture said mistreatment of prisoners, illegal detentions, forced exile of human rights activists and the use of child labour were continuing in Uzbekistan. An Uzbek delegation said the allegations were politically motivated.
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(News report from Issue No. 159, published on Nov. 6 2013)
NOV. 1 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — In a reference to a power struggle in Uzbekistan, Gulnara Karimova, eldest daughter of Uzbek president Islam Karimov, accused Rustam Inoyatov, head of the national security service, of harbouring presidential aspirations. Ms Karimova has thinly veiled presidential aspirations herself.
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(News report from Issue No. 159, published on Nov. 6 2013)
NOV. 1 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Despite assurances to the contrary, media groups continued to publish reports which said there was a shortage of fuel in Uzbekistan. US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that the worst shortages were in the eastern Ferghana Valley.
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(News report from Issue No. 159, published on Nov. 6 2013)
NOV. 1 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Highlighting just how sensitive the Uzbek authorities are towards the Andijan killings of 2005, prosecutors charged Tashkent-based newspaper Novosti Uzbekistana with promoting terrorism after it published a photograph from the day. Rights groups say hundreds of people died in Andijan after police opened fire on anti-government demonstrators. The authorities say a military operation killed terrorists.
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(News report from Issue No. 159, published on Nov. 6 2013)
