INFORMATION DIGEST OF PRESS OF UZBEKISTAN # 62

March 30, 2017

POLITICS
President of Uzbekistan receives chairman of the Gazprom management committee

BUSINESS CLIMATE
Uzbekistan: Manufacturers of pharmaceutical products will be provided with various preferences and benefits

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan to France

EXHIBITION
Convenient platform for mutually advantageous agreements and the stepping up of partnership

POLITICS

President of Uzbekistan receives chairman of the Gazprom management committee
On 29 March President of the Republic of Uzbekistan received Alexey Miller, chairman of the management committee of Russian energy company Gazprom, who is in our country with a working visit.
The Head of our state, greeting the guest, expressed a deep satisfaction with achieved high level of long-term and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas sphere.
Currently Gazprom, which is one of the leading energy companies in the world, actively takes part in implementing large projects on exploration and development of prospective hydrocarbon fields in Uzbekistan, as well as in the sphere of export supplies of natural gas.
In partnership with the Russian company, a mass-scale geological exploration was carried in Ustyurt, following which Jel gas-condensate field has been discovered. Shakhpakhti field is under joint development, where so far over 3,5 billion cubic meters of gas have been extracted.
Besides, Gazrpom takes part in the implementation of a project on exploration and development of fields in Gissar region, utilization of associated petroleum gas, as well as improving leading industrial design institute of our country – UzLITINEFTEGAZ.
During the meeting, prospective projects on further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation for the development of the oil and gas complex of Uzbekistan, including within the framework of the adopted program to increase hydrocarbon production for 2017-2021.
A particular attention was paid to cooperation in the field of training and professional development of specialists.
The Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee Alexey Miller expressed a sincere gratitude to the President of our country Shavkat Mirziyoyev for the warm welcome and the full support of joint projects and expressed willingness to develop full-scale cooperation with the Republic of Uzbekistan.
(Source: UzA)

BUSINESS CLIMATE

Uzbekistan: Manufacturers of pharmaceutical products will be provided with various preferences and benefits
It is planned to release the companies that specialize in the production of medicines, medical products and auxiliary materials that are used in the production, from customs payments for imported equipment and raw materials by January 1, 2021.
In addition, the manufacturers will be exempt for the same period from value added tax and excise tax on imported raw and auxiliary materials. Small enterprises that operate in the sector will be provided with opportunity to increase the average annual number of employees to 200 people from April 1, 2017, without a corresponding change in the tax qualification.
Elimination of bureaucracy in relations with state agencies is another interesting point. Now, there is no longer the need for medical institutions to register the contracts for the purchase of imported counterparts of domestically produced medicines and medical products that are included on the list of socially important medicines and medical products.
The issue of, perhaps, the biggest concern of manufacturers, is likely to be tackled. Jointly with commercial banks, the Central Bank will ensure mandatory conversion of funds for the purchase of imported raw and auxiliary materials that are not produced in Uzbekistan, but used in the production of the most popular socially significant medicines and medical products, within 90 calendar days from the application date.
In recent years, Uzbekistan has taken a range of measures to develop domestic manufacture of medicines. Over the past seven years, the industry has disbursed $501.9 million of investments, including $135.6 million of direct foreign investments. 99 industrial facilities were put into operation.
To date, the share of domestic drugs in the total structure of domestic pharmaceutical market has exceeded 55%. Domestic enterprises produce more than 2,000 titles of medicines; the average level of their localization is 62%.
Meanwhile, according to experts’ estimates, there are significant reserves for reducing imports of medicines and medical products through the localization of their production at domestic enterprises with a broad use of local raw materials.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan to France
On March 29, 2017 in Paris, the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov met with Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of the French Republic.
The foreign ministers discussed the state and prospects of the development of bilateral relations in the political, trade and economic, investment, military and technic, cultural, humanitarian and other spheres.
It was noted that the regular Uzbek-French meetings of foreign ministers, contacts at other levels allow the deepening of interstate cooperation on a mutually beneficial basis, expanding exchanges between representatives of business circles, scientific and educational institutions, culture and art.
During the conversation, the parties also exchanged views on some international and regional issues.
Following the talks, the ministers signed the Cooperation Program for 2017-2018 years between the foreign ministries of Uzbekistan and France.
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On March 29, 2017, in Paris, the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov, met with Remy Rioux, the General Director of the French Development Agency (AFD).
The sides noted with satisfaction that the intergovernmental agreement on the establishment and activities of the French Development Agency and PROPARCO in the Republic of Uzbekistan, signed at the end of last year, made it possible to intensify bilateral cooperation in trade, economic and investment spheres. Within the framework of the visit of the AFD delegation to our country, followed the agreement, decisions were made on financing a project by the French side on upgrading recycling system of solid domestic waste in Samarkand region, the total cost of which is 31.5 million euros.
During the meeting the parties reaffirmed the mutual interest in the participation of the AFD in implementation of socially significant joint projects in Uzbekistan.
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On March 29, 2017, in Paris, the Uzbek delegation met with Philippe Gautier, Director General of “MEDEF International” within the framework of the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov to France.
"MEDEF International" is the international branch of the Movement of French Enterprises “MEDEF”, which currently unites over 750,000 French companies and firms.
During the conversation, the sides exchanged views on the prospects of further strengthening Uzbek-French cooperation in the trade, economic and investment spheres.
As has been noted, the French business is interested in expanding cooperation with the Uzbek side, including participation on a mutually beneficial basis in the implementation of the large-scale Action Strategy adopted by the President of Uzbekistan on five priority directions on development of the country in 2017-2021. In this context, the practical issues of the organizing a trip to Uzbekistan of a representative delegation of business circles of France under the auspices of “MEDEF International” and holding a joint business forum in Tashkent were discussed at the meeting.
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On March 29, 2017, the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov took part in the meeting of heads of ministries of foreign affairs of the Central Asian countries and France.
During the conversation, the parties exchanged views on the perspectives for cooperation in different spheres, and on international problems.
Within the framework of the meeting, the opening ceremony of the Exhibition of archival documents devoted to the history of relations between France and the states of Central Asia was held.
(Source: Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan)

EXHIBITION

Convenient platform for mutually advantageous agreements and the stepping up of partnership
The international food and agricultural exhibitions “WorldFood Uzbekistan - 2017” and “AgroWorld Uzbekistan – 2017” have started their work at Uzexpocentre.
These exhibitions were arranged jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources and the Ministry of External Economic Relations, Investment and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Council of Farmers, the Uzbek food reserves association, the Ozbekoziqovqatholding holding company and the ITE Uzbekistan international exhibition company.
At the opening of the exhibitions, Sh.Teshayev, deputy minister of agriculture and water resources; and others said that the agrarian industry of Uzbekistan has great potential. Special attention being paid to the development of farming and entrepreneurship and the introduction of modern technologies in this industry expand possibilities for the export of agricultural produce.
The President’s decree dated 5 October 2016 “On additional measures to ensure the rapid development of entrepreneurial activity, comprehensively protect private ownership and qualitatively improve the business climate” helps to create a favourable investment and business climate in all the branches, including the agricultural sector and the food industry.
Convenient platform for mutually advantageous agreements and the stepping up of partnership
Uzbekistan is among the world’s top ten exporters of fruits and vegetables such as apricots, plums, grapes and cabbages. More than 180 types of fruit and vegetables, including processed fruits and vegetables, are exported to external markets. At an international trade fair that took place in 2016, many agreements were reached to export fruits and vegetables.
In the exhibitions that have opened, companies from more than 30 countries such as Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, the USA, Turkey, France, Switzerland, Sweden and South Korea as well as the heads and representatives of a number of countries responsible for their food industry and agriculture are participating.
The exhibitions “WorldFood Uzbekistan - 2017” and “AgroWorld Uzbekistan – 2017” incorporate all the modern areas of the food and agricultural spheres. These include foodstuffs, soft drinks, equipment for poultry farming and stock raising, agricultural machinery and technologies.
Products of enterprises of the food industry and agricultural sphere of Uzbekistan are widely displayed at the exhibitions. Among these enterprises are Feendo Ideal and Mehnat Group producing soft drinks and foodstuffs, such as confectionery, sweet biscuits, wafers and chocolates. Such enterprises as Sahovat Broiler, Toshkent Parranda, Sharq Bahodiri and Cho’ponota Prranda offer poultry products.
“At our enterprise, which has been working since the year 2003, confectionery products are produced with the use of modern technologies. Demand for more than 30 of our products is rising. We also export our products to CIS countries. About 100 people work at our enterprise, and 80 per cent of them are graduates of vocational colleges,” says Fayzulla Rakhmatullayev, director-general of the Class Food Servis LLC (Tashkent Region).
As part of the exhibitions, Farmers Day will take place with support from the Council of Farmers of Uzbekistan. Participants will have an opportunity to talk to farmers and to familiarize themselves with farming development projects and new equipment and technologies for this branch of industry.
These exhibitions will help to promote Uzbek agricultural produce on the world market, to develop trade links between Uzbek agricultural producers and foreign businessmen, to attract investments and to draw up and implement forward-looking projects.
(Source: UzA)

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