India moved a step closer in quest for oil and gas from Uzbekistan

India moved a step closer in its quest for energy from Central Asia with the signing of pacts to prospect for oil and gas in Uzbekistan.

India has already bagged a share in the Caspian Sea basin portion of Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest country, and inked a gas pipeline deal with the region's third major repository of hydrocarbons, Turkmenistan.

Following closed door and delegation level talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov, the two sides signed 34 pacts. Many of them involving the private sector on the economic side, especially in IT & telecom, pharma, textiles, leather and chemicals flowed from inter-governmental agreements signed earlier in the day.

The two sides discussed connectivity problems that have stymied better trade ties. With Pakistan unwilling to give transit rights to India and areas of Afghanistan next to it still restive, the two proposed spurs of the Trans-Afghan corridor and the Central Asia –Persian Gulf corridor were examined.

While economics appeared to dominate, the two leaders also exchanged notes on the security situation especially in Af- Pak. Uzbekistan, like India, has old ties with the Afghan Northern Alliance and supports New Delhi's formulation of making a distinction between the good and the bad Taliban.

Tashkent clarified that it had not held talks with the Quetta Shura (bad Taliban in India's lexis) but only with some former field commanders who had no link with this outfit of Taliban leaders.

In Afghanistan, both countries have joined hands in supplying electricity to Kabul – India erected the transmission network and Uzbekistan supplies the power. Tashkent is also constructing a railway line in Afghanistan, its first, that could eventually help it overcome its landlocked limitations.

Dr. Singh and Mr. Karimov condemned terrorism in “all its forms” but stopped short of demanding an end to sanctuaries to terrorists. Uzbekistan had emasculated the dreaded Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) through military action and supported a similar course in neighbouring Tajikistan whose quarter of population is of Uzbek origin. Post-2001, IMU found sanctuary in the Af-Pak region and caused several deadly attacks on security forces of both countries till the killing of its leader Tahir Yuldashev last year.

Significantly, India welcomed the entry into force of the Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia and “was prepared to extend the necessary security assurances.” So far such assurances have been offered by recognised nuclear weapon States. Analysts consider it significant that India made the offer and also that a nuclear weapon-free zone accepted it.

Explaining the quest for hydrocarbons, an official said one of the advantages of Central Asia was that despite having the third highest gas reserves in the world after the Persian Gulf countries and Russia, many parts have not been explored. One such is Uzbekistan's Karakal-Pakistan which is estimated to contain 70 billion cubic meters of gas reserves.

Uzbekistan also offered shale gas technology to India for prospecting in Assam, Rajasthan, Gujarat and some coastal areas.

The two sides touched on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) of which Uzbekistan is a member and India an observer. Dr. Singh informed about India's readiness to join SCO for maintaining its energy security as also give a fillip to cooperation in transportation, agriculture and education. The SCO has always been very positive about India's contribution in Afghanistan.

India Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership and talks about Afghanistan

Within a week of entering into a strategic partnership with Afghanistan, PM Manmohan Singh on Wednesday exchanged notes with visiting President of Uzbekistan Islam Abduganievich Karimov on the “unstable situation” in Afghanistan.

New Delhi also entered into a “strategic partnership” with Uzbekistan, one of Afghanistan’s neighbours.

An official statement, after the talks between Singh and Karimov, said, “The leaders had a detailed discussion on the continuing unstable situation in Afghanistan and underlined the importance of early establishment of peace and stability in the country. Prime Minister shared his perspectives on Afghanistan, based on his recent visit to Kabul.”

The statement said both sides discussed the challenges emanating from the region, including drug trafficking. A senior South Block official explained that since Uzbekistan is in India’s extended neighbourhood, it has a lot of interest in the situation in Afghanistan. “Both India and Uzbekistan are interested in stability being achieved in Afghanistan,” Ajay Bisaria, joint secretary (Eurasia), said.

NATO Rep visits Uzbekistan

NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai paid a short visit to Uzbekistan on May 11, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry reported.

During the visit, Appathurai held meetings at the Legislative Chamber and Senate of Oliy Majlis in Uzbekistan, the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry.

"The delegations exchanged their opinions on the current state and prospective of developing relations between Uzbekistan and NATO, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest," the report reads.

The meetings noted that Uzbek President Islam Karimov’s visit to Brussels in January and meeting with the NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen gave new impetus to Uzbekistan’s interaction with the alliance.

The sides also expressed their interest in continued development and cooperation within the Individual Partnership Program and the process of planning and analysis of adopted decisions.

Appathurai visited the World Economy and Diplomacy University and held a lecture for the students.

Uzbekistan-China ties will continue to expand

Uzbekistan and China has witnessed consistent development of trade-economic and investment cooperation. Since first years of its independence, Uzbekistan has been developing relations with China.

The amicable ties based on mutual trust, is expected to evolve in the same spirit for the welfare of the two nations, Uzreport.com reported. Both countries have signed 170 documents covering various spheres of bilateral relations.

It was recalled that during the state visit of President Islam Karimov to China in 2005, an Interstate agreement on partnership relations, friendship and cooperation was signed.

The agreement further enhanced mutual cooperation.
Over the last period, a large number of summits and visits of various delegations have been held. The issue of overcoming the ramifications of the global financial crisis was an important aspects of the interstate cooperation. As a result, Uzbekistan and China are paying special emphasis on expanding trade-economic, investment and financial cooperation.

China is also the leading investor in Uzbekistan and second among Uzbekistan’s trade partners.
Last year the volume of bilateral trade amounted to €2.85 billion. Around 347 Chinese firms have invested in Uzbekistan.

Number of plastic cards in circulation nears 8 million in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is undertaking active measures on the development of the system of cashless settlements. The number of plastic cards currently in circulation has exceeded 7.9 million and the number of ATMs and terminals in trading points comprised 86,100.

These figures were cited at the expanded meeting of the Board of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan to sum up results of banking system activity in the first quarter of 2011 and discuss priority tasks set before the banking system by the President Islam Karimov at the governmental session on 15 April 2011.

EU delegation visits Uzbekistan

UzA, 27 April 2011, 07:52

The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan hosted an international roundtable on “Political and economic development in Uzbekistan and the EU, and prospects of further deepening bilateral partnership and cooperation”. The event was held in the framework of the visit of the European Parliament delegation to the country.

The roundtable was attended by deputies of the Legislative Chamber and members of the Senate, the Ombudsman, members of the EU delegation and representatives of various ministries and departments of Uzbekistan.

Chairman of the Legislative Chamber Committee for International Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations L.Gulyamov noted the consistent development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union in the economic, social and political spheres, as well as in the parliamentary sphere.

Uzbekistan is working closely with the EU in economic, political and legal areas, in the field of agriculture, energy, transport, education, know-how, standardization and certification, audit, control of drug substances, as well as in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and strengthening regional security and stability.



The European Union pays a particular attention to relations with Uzbekistan. The committee of parliamentary cooperation “Uzbekistan – European Union” was created. Established under the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between Uzbekistan and the EU, this committee serves to development of parliamentary relations.

At the regular meetings of the committee held in Tashkent and Brussels issues like relations between Uzbekistan and the European Union, in particular, socioeconomic and financial cooperation, democratization processes, protection of human rights and interests, cooperation in science and technology, education and healthcare, environmental protection and rational use of natural resources are discussed. Along with this, mechanisms of cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime, illegal drug trafficking, terrorism and religious extremism are considered.

During the round table, Ombudsman S.Rashidova, chairman of the Legislative Chamber Committee for Democratic Institutions, NGOs and Self-Government Bodies A.Saidov, chairman of the Committee for Information and Communication Technologies A.Jurabayev, chairman of the Senate Committee for Foreign Policy Issues S.Safayev and others noted that reforms carried out in Uzbekistan in order to strengthen healthy competition between political parties, improve the activity of civil society and human rights protection have produced notable results.

Members of the European Parliament got acquainted with the ideas and initiatives put forward by President Islam Karimov in his Concept of further deepening democratic reforms and formation of civil society. The concept, in particular, includes priority directions for democratization of state power, improving the legal system, reforming the information sphere, developing electoral law, forming the institutions of civil society and liberalizing market reforms.

“The relations between the European Union and Uzbekistan are developing dynamically,” said the deputy of the European Parliament, head of the delegation Anna Gomez. “At this meeting, we exchanged views on interparliamentary relations, regional security, environmental protection, rational use of water resources, stabilization of situation in the Aral Sea basin, energy, combating illicit trafficking of narcotic substances. The European Union supports efforts and initiatives of Uzbekistan towards important regional and international matters.”