2013 Marks AUCC 20th Anniversary

Since 1993 the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce has been at the forefront of advancing trade and business relations between the US and the Republic of Uzbekistan. AUCC prides itself in catering to the needs of our members, providing them with a platform to interact with policy makers in the US and the Republic of Uzbekistan and ensuring that bilateral commercial relations continue to be on the governments' top agenda.   

For the last twenty years AUCC has been a vigorous advocate of the views of the business community to ensure that private sector positions are considered during the development of policies that impact American businesses and the future of U.S.-Uzbekistan relations.    

We are delighted that today AUCC is a well-known organization that is recognized for its strength and ability to work closely with a great number of partner organizations. AUCC enjoys excellent working relations with the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Washington, D.C., the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Uzbek ministries, associations and organizations as well as the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. AUCC also coordinates its efforts with a great number of international financial institutions, business councils and other professional organizations.

Recently Uzbek Ambassador to the USA Mr. Ilhom Nematov and the Uzbek Embassy's Counselor on Trade and Investments, Mr. Laziz Kudratov, visited a Solar Turbines' plant located in San Diego, CA. This was the Ambassador's first official trip to the Western coast and to the company's headquarters in America's Finest City. AUCC is honored that the visit to Solar Turbines Incorporated, an AUCC member since 2011, was the Ambassador's focal point of the trip.

A US company, Solar Turbines Incorporated is a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. It is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial gas turbines, with more than 13,900 units and over 1.7 billion operating hours in 98 countries. Products from Solar Turbines play an important role in the development of oil, natural gas and power generation projects around the world. Solar Turbines' products include gas turbine engines (rated from 1590 to 30,000 horsepower), gas compressors, gas turbine-powered compressor sets, mechanical-drive packages and generator sets (ranging from 1.1 to 22 megawatts).

The company's activities in the Republic of Uzbekistan began in 2007. Since then, the company has managed to build solid relations with Uzbekneftegas to supply equipment for the Uzbek oil and gas industry. The Uzbek Embassy's choice to visit the headquarters in San Diego was an acknowledgement of Solar Turbines' input in advancing bilateral trade relations. The visit was also a recognition of Solar Turbines successes in generating and extending greater economic and business opportunities to the people of Uzbekistan and the US. During his visit Ambassador Nematov met with Mr. Gil Amengual, Director Marketing and Product Strategy, and Mr. Ken Rumsey, International Sales Manager, Oil & Gas. They talked about Solar Turbines' activities, their Uzbekistan-specific contracts and how the Uzbek Government can help the company be more active in the Uzbek market.

In the Ambassador's view: "There is no doubt that Solar Turbines Incorporated is one of the best examples of how the company's commitment to provide top-notch services and products has laid out a foundation for building strong and solid partnership with Uzbekneftegas. The people of Uzbekistan have a great confidence in the longevity of our relationship with Solar Turbines Incorporated. We need more companies like Solar Turbines who are here to stay and share their knowledge, expertise and excellent work ethics with our nation". Echoing the Ambassador's remarks, Mr. Kudratov, the Embassy's officer responsible for trade and investments, said that: "Success stories by a well-known company such as Solar Turbines demonstrate the dynamism of the Uzbek economy to the rest of the international business company. The Uzbek Embassy stands ready to assist the company in identifying further areas and opportunities for doing business in Uzbekistan."

As a representative from Solar Turbines Incorporated, Mr. Rumsey reiterated the company's determination to continue working with the Republic of Uzbekistan in modernizing its technological processes and helping implement the company's latest achievements and innovations in the Uzbek oil and gas industry.