The car output of GM Uzbekistan, a joint venture of US automaker General Motors (GM) and Uzbek automaker Uzavtoprom, rose 7.8% year-on-year to 108,426 units in January-July 2009.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov signed a resolution on additional measures on realization of the project on construction of Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex. The document is directed at organization and project financing and improving attractiveness of the project for attraction of foreign investment.

Uzbekistan’s canoeist Vadim Menkov won a gold medal at the men’s C1 100m at the 2009 ICF Senior Canoe Sprint World Championships on Lake Banook in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 15 August 2009.

MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG (Germany) and Uzavtosanoat (Uzbek Auto Industry) joint-stock company founded a joint venture on assembling vehicles in Samarkand. Charter capital of JV MAN Auto-Uzbekistan is 3 million euros. Uzavtosanoat holds 51% share in the joint venture and MAN possesses 49% share.

A three-day training on “Economic Diplomacy” was held at Charvak Oromgohi Hotel in the Charvak recreational zone. This unique workshop was organized by the joint project of UNDP and the MFA “Enhancing the capacity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to better respond to the emerging issues of the new millennium” in cooperation with local partners.

Stable functioning of the banking and financial system focused on the balanced long-term development of economy is one of the factors promoting the successful development of the national economy of Uzbekistan.

On 10-12 August, negotiations on a proposed Ferghana Valley Water Resource Management Project were held at the World Bank country office in Tashkent. The project cost is US$ 65,544 million provided by IDA. The Uzbek delegation was led by Mr. Shavkat Khamraev, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and water resources.

The global economic downturn has further strengthened the importance of reinforcing trade and business relationships with the non-traditional partners such as Central Asian countries, Bernama reported.

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) announced connection of export pipeline of Amudarya to the section of Uzbekistan of constructing gas pipeline “Central Asia-China”. Gas export pipeline of Turkmen section was connected with Uzbek part of Central Asian pipeline on the border of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, CNPC reported.

Uzbekistan has approved plans to buy six Boeing and 10 Airbus airliners in lend-leasing deals worth a total of US$1.14 billion. Uzbekistan Havo Yollari (Uzbekistan Airways) will receive six Airbus A320 jetliners under a 2007 contract agreed with the European planemaker. Another four of the Airbus models will be delivered by 2016, under a separate deal signed in 2008.

The statistics made upon the results of Uzbekistan\'s economic development in the first half of 2009 shows that its main foreign partners are Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Uzbekistan started a complex of measures on introduction of biometric passports, head of department on arrival, departure and registration of citizenship (DADRC) of the Interior Ministry of Uzbekistan Badriddin Shorihsiev said in interview, published at the website of the ministry (http://mvd.uz/ru/content/info/407).

The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan passed a number of laws on its session held on 12 August.

Uzbekistan is offering a host of attractive incentives in a move to lure more Malaysian investors to its shores.

The gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by 9% in January-June 2009 in comparison with the similar period of last year in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), according to the CIS Interstate Statistics Committee.

Uzkommunhizmat agency of Uzbekistan and Spain’s Elecnor and Atlas Consorcion AIE signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation, which envisages development and realization of joint investment projects in water supply, environment protection, sewage treatment and processing of domestic wastes.

One of Uzbekistan\'s leading mobile operators Coscom, rendering its services under UCell brand in the country, has become the second largest mobile communication provider in the republic in terms of subscriber base on results of the first half of 2009, according to the Uzbek Agency for Communication and Informatization.

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received special representative of the President of South Korea An Sang Su at Oqsaroy residence in Tashkent on 10 August.

A regular meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO CHS) took place on 15 and 16 June 2009 in Yekaterinburg. President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A.Nazarbaev, Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao, President of the Kyrgyz Republic K.S.Bakiev, President of the Russian Federation D.A.Medvedev, President of the Republic of Tajikistan E.Rakhmon, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan I.A.Karimov were in attendance.