AUCC  

September 26, 2014

2014 US-UZBEKISTAN ANNUAL BUSINESS FORUM

WHERE: Tashkent, Uzbekistan

WHEN: Tuesday, November 11, 2014

TIME: 9.00 AM - 5.00 PM

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Monday, 

September 29, 2014

Please register online to receive an Application Form that includes information on Uzbek visa, hotel accommodation, transportation, etc. 

AUCC  

September 26, 2014

Organized by: 

John H. Chafee Center for International Business/World Trade Center Rhode Island 

WHEN:

09.00 AM - 10.45 AM

 Wednesday, October 8, 2014 

WHERE:

RSVP: 

info@aucconline.com

or (202) 509-3744

Roundtable Meeting with 

Uzbek Ambassador to the 

United States

H.E. Bakhtiyar Gulyamov

Please join our discussion with H.E. Ambassador Bakhtiyar Gulyamov on commercial opportunities and how to make the first step towards doing business in Uzbekistan.     

9:00 am

Networking and Registration

09:30 a.m.

Welcome and Introduction Remarks by Mr. James Krzywicki, COO, Seaport World Trade Center Boston and Mr. Gerald Cohen, International Trade Specialist, John H. Chafee Center for International Business/World Trade Center Rhode Island

09:40 a.m.

Opening Remarks by AUCC Member, Mr. Thomas E. Moran of Zeppelin International AG (authorized Caterpillar's distributor)

09.45 a.m.

Overview of Uzbekistan's Economic and Business Potential By Uzbek Ambassador

H.E.Bakhtiyar Gulyamov

09.55 a.m.

Presentation on Opportunities in Uzbekistan

by Trade and Investment Counselor

Mr. Laziz Kudratov

10.10 a.m.

Q&A

10.45 a.m.

Conclusion

U.S. Department of State  

September 23, 2014

Remarks

For nearly six decades, the Asia Society has challenged our conception of the region's geography. It has encouraged us to transcend the physical and political borders that divide us. And it has pushed the boundaries of our imagination about what's possible for this vast continent and its extraordinary people.

There has never been a more important time to channel that spirit. Whether you call it the New Silk Road or the Silk Road Economic Belt, now is the moment to work together to restore this region to its historic role as a vital hub of global commerce, ideas, and culture.

All of you know as well as I do what's at stake in the years ahead for the region, and especially for Afghanistan. We applaud the people of Afghanistan for their courage in voting for a better future, and we applaud Afghanistan's leaders for their courage in agreeing to form a government of national unity to implement urgently needed reforms. We will support Afghanistan and its new government, but we see clearly that Afghanistan's fortunes remain tied to its neighborhood, just as the neighborhood's fortunes remain tied to Afghanistan.

This is precisely why our commitment to the region's stability and security will extend well beyond the transition in Afghanistan. This region is critical to global security. It is a region full of economic opportunity and human potential. Our shared objective is not to supplant the region's vibrant East-West connections, but to supplement and complement them with equally vibrant North-South connections. We believe that a more interconnected region can serve as a driver of economic development and as an anchor of peace and security. That is the vision behind the New Silk Road. And that is what brings us together today.

To realize that vision, we will continue to support your efforts on four specific tasks - building a regional energy market, facilitating trade and transport, easing customs and border procedures, and promoting people-to-people ties. Together, we have already begun to make progress on each, but we can do much more.

The most important - and perhaps most transformational - step we can take is to build a regional energy market. In practical terms, this means linking existing transmission lines and large supplies of hydropower and natural gas in Central Asia with 1.6 billion energy-hungry consumers in South Asia. Building an energy-connected region is a generational effort but there are important steps we can take now - from signing electricity purchase price and transit fee agreements for the CASA-1000 electricity line, to bringing on board experienced international oil companies for the TAPI natural gas pipeline, to upgrading and extending existing transmission lines for the TUTAP electricity grid.

Unlocking intra-regional trade and commerce is also going to take time and effort, but the region will not realize its full potential without it. South and Central Asia are the least economically integrated regions of the world, with inter-regional trade accounting for only 6% of the total trade of the five Central Asian republics and Afghanistan. Investment in physical infrastructure will help, but only if it is accompanied by an equally robust investment in the legal and regulatory frameworks that reduces barriers to trade and gives confidence to businesses and investors. That is why we've encouraged the expansion and full implementation of the transport provisions of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit-Trade Agreement.

It's why we've pushed for the ratification of the Cross-Border Transport Agreement between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. And it's why we continue to call on regional aspirants to take the steps necessary to conclude their accession to the World Trade Organization.

A stronger legal and physical infrastructure will facilitate more effective and efficient transit-trade corridors. Ultimately, the cost and time of doing business at the borders determines when and how companies trade. By streamlining customs procedures, tackling corruption, and working towards a goal of open, but secure borders, the region can demonstrate it is truly open for business.

Finally, roads and power lines alone will not knit this region together. The strongest and most sustainable connections are the ties that bind its people. In trade shows we've organized from Tashkent to Termez, and Almaty to Islamabad, we've seen how innovation and creativity cut across borders and nationalities. In the past year alone, those shows resulted in more than $15 million of trade deals between businesses that had never traded together before. We are not even close to realizing the full promise of these connections. There is nothing in the ground that holds as much promise for the region's future than what is in the minds of its people.

That is, ultimately, why I remain optimistic about this region and about its future. It's true that breaking down boundaries is hard work. But it's also true that this region has broken them down before. And it can break them down again. Working together with the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and our partners in the Istanbul Process, we will do our part to help all of you usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for this region and its people.

I want to thank you all again for coming together today and for your continued commitment to the New Silk Road.

Thank you very much.

Press Service of the MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan  

September 23, 2014

On 25-27 September 2014 the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, headed by Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov will participate in the General Debates of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly. During the visit of the delegation to New York holding a series of bilateral meetings with representatives of other countries is planned.  

World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe  

September 24, 2014

Uzbekistan initiated primary health care (PHC) reforms in the late 1990s with the aim of ensuring better health and universal access to health care. The results of the reforms were recently assessed using the WHO Primary Care Evaluation Tool (PCET) and are presented in a new report supported by WHO/Europe. 

The review summarizes PCET's assessment of 4 health system functions: stewardship, resource generation, financing and service delivery. It presents Uzbekistan's progress through key achievements, issues and major factors contributing to and impeding further improvement of the health system. 

The results and recommendations of the assessment are intended to guide effective planning of further primary health care development. The report issued by the Ministry of Health of Republic of Uzbekistan is available in Russian and will soon also be available in English.