Author: Blake Morgan

In his address to entrepreneurs and businesspeople, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev recently emphasized that Uzbek businesspeople have had to contend with factors such as disruptions in logistics and supply chains due to various conflicts, currency devaluation in partner countries, and the cost escalation of financial resources owing to high global inflation. “I believe that if we draw the right lessons from our shortcomings and move forward, our hardworking and enterprising people will undoubtedly overcome any difficulty,” he said. He underscored that the most appropriate response in such a complex situation is to directly hear about the problems from the…

TASHKENT, Aug 16 (Reuters) – Distributors of a contaminated Indian cough syrup that killed 65 children in Uzbekistan paid local officials a bribe of $33,000 to skip mandatory testing, Uzbek state prosecutors alleged during a trial on Wednesday. The Central Asian nation put 21 people on trial – 20 of whom are Uzbeks and one Indian – over the deaths last week, making public for the first time a much higher death toll than previously reported. Three of the defendants (an Indian and two Uzbekistan nationals) are executives of Quramax Medical, a company that sold medicines produced by India’s Marion…

TASHKENT, Aug 11 (Reuters) – Uzbekistan began a trial on Friday over the deaths last year of 65 children linked to contaminated cough syrups, announcing for the first time a much higher death toll than before. The Central Asian nation had previously reported only 20 deaths linked to the medicines, which were produced by India’s Marion Biotech. Among the 21 defendants – 20 of whom are Uzbeks and one is Indian – are former senior officials who were in charge of licensing imported medicines and executives of a private company that imported and distributed them, Uzbekistan’s Supreme Court said in statement.…

Trucks and trains may have replaced the camel caravans of old, but there are still many joys to be had from simply getting around in Uzbekistan, from the stunning Soviet-era decor of Tashkent’s magnificent metro to overnight train trips across the Central Asian steppe. Using a combination of trains, shared taxis and even car hire, you can travel along ancient Silk Roads between Khiva and Bukhara, or follow in the footsteps of Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great en route to such storied places as Bactria or the Fergana Valley. Indeed, getting from A to B in Uzbekistan is half the…

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan discussed the possibility of increasing mutual investments, Azernews reports. According to the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, Deputy Minister of Economy Sahib Mammadov met with Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan Oybek Khamrayev. During the meeting, Mammadov stated that both nations place a high priority on the effective growth of their bilateral relations and that there are many potential to increase cooperation in the area of trade. The terms of the intergovernmental agreement on the creation of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Fund contribute to a rise in bilateral trade and investment as well as a strengthening of…

The CEO of Quramax Medical stated in court Wednesday that he gave an Uzbekistan official $33,000 after prosecutors alleged that the company paid a bribe to circumvent the mandatory testing of a contaminated Indian cough syrup that killed 65 children. The company that manufactured the cough syrup was India’s Marion Biotech, and the medicines were sold by Quramax. Marion Biotech’s manufacturing license has since been canceled by authorities in India’s Uttar Pradesh state following the deaths. As a result of the deaths, which were first reported in December 2022, 21 people have been put on trial, and seven defendants have pleaded guilty to several charges, including sale of…

The OSCE/ODIHR mission, as a clear example of Uzbekistan’s commitment to improving the status of women in the public and political spheres, points to the nomination of a representative of the fair gender identity as one of the candidates for the post of Head of State. In this context, it must be emphasized that the achievement of gender equality, ensuring the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of women, strengthening their role in public and state life have become one of the priorities of the state policy of Uzbekistan. A number of decrees and resolutions of the President, government resolutions have…

Sales of Damas minivans have been resumed in car dealers in Russia. The price is around 11 thousand US dollars. These minivans are probably being delivered through Kazakhstan in “parallel import”. UzAuto announced that it stopped supplying cars to Russia in March last year. In February last year, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US General Motors stopped supplying its models to Russia. From March 2022, UzAuto Motors also stopped exporting cars to Russia. Eurasianet cited the fact that South Korea, a supplier of semiconductors and microchips to the company, joined the sanctions against Russia. In turn, GM confirmed in…

Brussels Energy Club (BREC) held a first-ever conference on energy security and sustainability in Central Asia on July 4 in the Belgian capital. Four panel sessions explored regional and interregional collaboration in delivering the energy transition in Central Asia, a fast-growing region. The event was organized in partnership with the diplomatic missions of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan to the European Union (EU) and was moderated by BREC Principal Representative Marat Terterov and BREC Director Nadezda Kokotovic. In his welcoming remarks, Terterov emphasized that energy is a key driver fueling regional growth. He noted Central Asia has…

Vice President of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), Askar Shakirov, outlined Kazakhstan’s position on key issues on the international agenda at the 30th annual session of the OSCE PA on June 30 – July 4 in Vancouver, Canada, reported the press service of the Kazakh Senate on July 3. Hundreds of parliamentarians from North America, Europe and Central Asia are addressing security and cooperation challenges, focusing on cybersecurity issues, prevention of terrorism and violent extremism, including searching for optimal ways to improve the OSCE’s functionality during a period of crisis in international relations. Shakirov co-authored…