INVITATION (Venue and Agenda Update)

JOINT ROUNDTABLE ON PROMOTION OF STRONGER U.S.-UZBEKISTAN TRADE RELATIONS: Views by H.E. Ambassador Bakhtiyar Gulyamov on Commercial Opportunities for US Companies in Uzbekistan and His Assessment of Bilateral Business Cooperation

ORGANIZED BY THE AMERICAN-UZBEKISTAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, US COMMERCIAL SERVICE, PHILADELPHIA AND FOX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

Time and Date: 9.00 AM - 11.00 AM on Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Venue: Fox School of Business, Temple University, 1801 Liacouras Walk,The Fox Board Room, 3rd Floor, Alter Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19122-6038

RSVP: [email protected]and [email protected] or call 202-509-3744

GUESTS: 

AGENDA:

November 14, 2013

Uzbekistan highly appreciates the current level of strategic partnership and allied relations with Russia.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov made the remark at the meeting with Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia's Federal Assembly Valentina Matvienko, who was on an official visit in Tashkent, on November 13.

The president said that fruitful results and practical outcomes of the Uzbek-Russian relations and high-level negotiations in June 2012 in Tashkent and in April 2013 in Moscow allowed to give new impetus to the development of interactions in political, trade, investment, cultural, humanitarian and other spheres.

The achieved level of inter-parliamentary relations also played an important role in the dynamic expansion of bilateral ties in various spheres. The agreement signed in 2006 between Russia's Federal Assembly and Uzbekistan's Oliy Majlis contributed to establishment of relations on the systemic basis, facilitated the regular exchange of experience in legislative support to deep political and socio-economic reforms conducted in the two countries.

The parties stated with pleasure the sustainable tendency of expansion of economic cooperation, qualitative change of mutual trade structure.

During the meeting there was exchange of views on the issues of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, certain regional and international problems.

During the two-day visit Matvienko also held negotiations with Chairman of Senate of Oliy Majlis (upper house of the parliament) Ilgizar Sabirov, Speaker of the Legislative Chamber Dilor Tashmuhamedov and Vice-President Elmira Basitkhanova.

November 12, 2013

Uzbek President Islam Karimov has approved an Uzbek- Slovenian intergovernmental agreement on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of income and capital tax evasion.

The agreement was signed during the Uzbek delegation's visit to Slovenia. The document was signed by Chairman of the Uzbek State Tax Committee Botir Parpiev and State Secretary of the Slovenian Ministry of Finance Marko Pogacnik.

According to Uzbek and Slovenian experts, approval of the agreement will serve to take a positive step for the further strengthening of economic relations and increasing the investment and economic activity of Slovenian companies in Uzbekistan and Uzbek companies in Slovenia.

November 15, 2013

The meeting of the joint Turkmen-Uzbek commission for trade and economic, scientific and technical and cultural cooperation took place in Ashgabat, with the participation of the sectorial ministries and agencies of the two countries, a message from the Turkmenistan government said.

According to the message, the Uzbek delegation at the meeting was headed by the country's Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade Elyor Ganiyev.

'Special attention is being paid to the issues of practical implementation of the project for formation of a transport-transit corridor between Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Oman and Qatar. The main link in this project will be Turkmenistan which seeks to provide new access to world markets and to contribute to the increase of international transit cargo flow', the message said.

Turkmenistan and Iran with the participation of Kazakhstan have already begun the implementation of the trilateral project for creation of a new North-South rail corridor. On the recreated transport and trade system, road cargo will be transferred to the Gulf countries, Indian Ocean, Europe and other regions without delay.

According to preliminary estimates, the annual volume of own and transit cargo transportation will be 10-12 million tons.

The agreement on the establishment of an international transport and transit corridor between the governments of Iran, Oman, Qatar, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan was signed in Ashgabat on April 25, 2011 at the level of the foreign ministers of these countries.

The new corridor will allow the Central Asian countries to be connected with the ports of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman on the optimal route in the long term prospect.

Observers said that Russia and China can also get the access to the new markets. It may give great economic benefit to the trans-regional project.

Member countries interested in cooperation think the initiative was timely. It will contribute to the further progress and prosperity of each country in the region by expanding the volume of general trade and reducing costs for the transit of goods.

It is necessary to explore the prospects for cooperation in the field of customs, freight traffic by road, rail and sea transport and joint investments at an expert level. The project is particularly important for Uzbekistan, having no direct route to the sea.

It was previously reported that Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdimuhamedov is expected to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan in November 2013.

November 13, 2013

[Abstract. Full report here]

The economic growth in Central Asia is expected to remain relatively strong owing to a number of large natural resource projects.