A court in Moscow charged Uzbek citizen Ahmat Qurbanov on December 19 with terrorism and other charges in the high-profile killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces, RFE/RL reported. In addition to terrorism, Qurbanov has been charged with murder and the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition,
During the 4th Uzbekistan Country Platform roundtable on 17 December, over 90 participants from Uzbekistan’s government and international development partners discussed progress on key reforms in the education, skills development and TVET, i.e., technical and vocational education and training, sectors, crucial for aligning the workforce with labour market needs and advancing the Strategy “Uzbekistan 2030”,
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been appointed as a transaction advisor to the Ministry of Preschool and School Education and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to support the delivery of high-quality preschool education via public–private partnerships (PPPs) in Jizzakh, Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya and Tashkent regions in Uzbekistan. ADB is already providing similar advisory services
Azerbaijani businessman Emin Agalarov and several other large investment companies plan to build an international tourist center, Sea Breeze Uzbekistan, on the shore of the Charvak reservoir in Bostanlyk district of Tashkent region. On December 16, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended a presentation of the project. Bostanlyk is one of the most attractive tourism places
After launching a four-day train tour in November connecting the cities of Almaty, Turkestan, and Tashkent, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), Kazakhstan’s national railway company, has announced the launch of another train tour, “Jibek Joly (Silk Road) 2.0,” along the route Almaty-Turkestan-Tashkent-Samarkand-Shymkent-Almaty. The first train on this route will depart on January 2 and return to
At the 9th meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Uzbekistan on December 5 and 6, a high-level government delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev reaffirmed the country’s strong intention to swiftly advance negotiations with World Trade Organization (WTO) members, with a view to completing the process by 2026. The high-level
On December 11, Tashkent hosted the first Uzbekistan-Croatia Business Forum, marking a significant milestone in strengthening trade, economic, and investment ties between the two countries. The forum was co-chaired by the Minister of Investments, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, Laziz Kudratov, and the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, Gordan Grlić Radman. The
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Institute, and the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), in the spirit of promoting Islamic Finance in Central Asia, have held a panel discussion, “Bridging the Capital Road: CIS & GCC,” as part of the Islamic Banking program at Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW). This panel highlighted the transformative
Afghanistan’s National Development Company says that Phase 2 of the Qoshtepa Canal construction project is 81% complete, TOLOnews reported. Nabiullah Arghandiwal, spokesperson for the National Development Company, said: “The construction process is progressing rapidly with advanced machinery and work teams. The embankments of the canal are also 67% complete, and all work is being carried
On December 4–5, a meeting of the European Union’s Working Group on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) was held in Brussels. The event brought together representatives from 28 EU member states and, for the first time, a delegation from Uzbekistan, represented by the Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade (MIIT). During the meeting, the
From 28 to 30 November, the XIII Eurasian Creative Week took place in Greenock, Scotland. The event brought together artists, writers, poets, diplomats and creative figures from 15 countries: Canada, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Israel, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Scotland, England, and Ukraine. The festival included exhibitions, book presentations, an award ceremony, and a film screening.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has taken a major step in strengthening its presence in Central Asia, made possible through the strong support of and cooperation with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change. On December 2, the two parties signed a Host Country Agreement, formalizing the establishment of an
On November 29, at the Uzbek Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, the Investment Agreement for the construction of a 300 MW solar power plant and a 75 MW energy storage system in the Karmana district of the Navoi region of Uzbekistan was signed. The ceremony was attended by Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry
On November 27, the opening ceremony of the IX European Film Festival took place at the National Palace of Cinema Arts in Tashkent. This year marks the 30th anniversary of official relations between the European Union and Uzbekistan, and the IX European Film Festival has become one of the crucial events dedicated to this important
On November 28, an Uzbek-Turkish business forum was held in Tashkent as part of the visit of a delegation of Turkish business circles headed by Chairman of the Ostim united industrial zone Orhan Aydin. It was attended by Uzbek Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Akram Aliyev and heads of more than 200 large
On November 27, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting to discuss the current state of attracting foreign investment and plans for the next year. It was stated at the meeting that over the past 10 months, Uzbekistan has attracted more than $26 billion in foreign investment, a 1.7-fold increase compared to last year. These
On November 27, over 40 representatives from Central Asia, OSCE executive structures, UN entities and civil society organizations gathered for the Second Meeting of the Central Asia Regional Expert Council (REC) on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returnees. The REC was inaugurated in Tashkent in May 2024 upon President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiative. The
Air Products, a world-leading industrial gases company, and the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a state-of-the-art Makerspace in Qarshi, Uzbekistan. On November 26, U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick and Air Products Vice President for Central Europe and Central Asia Vaclav Harant officially signed the
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is helping one of Uzbekistan’s first digital financial institutions, TBC Bank Uzbekistan (TBC UZ), to expand its services and provide lending to micro and youth-led or owned businesses as well as women entrepreneurs across the country. A senior loan of up to US$10 million (€9.1 million equivalent)
On November 22, Tashkent hosted the opening of the regional office of the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank). The ceremony was attended by Yang Dongning, Vice President of China Exim Bank; Yu Jun, Ambassador of China to Uzbekistan; Ilzat Kasimov, Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan; and representatives from the business
