THE ISLAM KARIMOV ACADEMIC AND EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX

Foreign policy. 2005 year


4 january. President Islam Karimov received the first vice president of Iran Muhammad Rizo Arif. President Islam Karimov noted that this meeting would allow discussion of urgent bilateral relations.  
“We respect you not only as vice president of Iran, but as a scientist who has made a worthy contribution to the development of your country,” said President Islam Karimov. “Uzbek-Iranian relations are based on principles of mutually profitable cooperation. Dialog and consultation in interstate relations have taken on a permanent character. Since 2000, there have been 3 meetings on a higher level. Links between ministries and institutions are developing.”
The Iranian leadership considers Uzbekistan a key state in Central Asia. At present both sides are interested in ensuring that cooperation contributes to a stable peace in Afghanistan. The fight against extremism, terrorism and drug smuggling is also an urgent question for cooperation.  
Uzbekistan and Iran cooperate closely in creating an international transport corridor between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf through Afghanistan. In this regard, the 3-party document on creating the trans-Afghan corridor, singed at the initiative of President Islam Karimov last summer in Teheran is significant. The realization of this project has already begun and the question of creating an interstate coordinating council to facilitate it is being considered.  
There is fruitful cooperation in the economic sphere. There are 7 Iranian representative offices and about 50 JVs operating here. Cargo transit increases each year. Ties in health, culture and science are growing.  

17 march. The official visit of President Islam Karimov to Slovenia began with an official ceremonial meeting, playing of state hymns and raising of flags.  
During the one on one talks, President Islam Karimov and President Ianez Drnovshek discussed prospects for mutual relations and further cooperation, as well as international problems of mutual interest.  
The official delegations focused on practical cooperation, especially in trade, economics, transport, tourism and business. The sides exchanged opinions on raising trade, further investment, and analyzed possibilities for cooperation.  
An Agreement on international automobile traffic, on cooperation of trade-industrial chambers, and a Memorandum on cooperation between the national bank of Uzbekistan and the Novoliubliansk bank of Slovenia were signed.  
At the meeting of President Islam Karimov and the administration of the capital Liubliana, Mr Danits Simshich spoke with President Islam Karimov about the development of cooperation in business and tourism.  
President Islam Karimov signed the Golden book of honorary guests of Liubliana.  
In the afternoon President Islam Karimov received the chairman of the National council of Slovenia Ianez Sushnik. They spoke of further strengthening the legal bases of bilateral relations.  
At the Trade-industrial chamber of Slovenia there was a business seminar between business circles of both countries. It considered development of cooperation between entrepreneurs of Uzbekistan and Slovenia. An Agreement on cooperation between Uzbekturizm and Rene tur, and an Agreement on reinsurance between Uzbekinvest and the Slovenian export corporation were signed  

4 april. President Islam Karimov left for a state visit to India. He spoke to journalists at the Tashkent airport.  
“India is an intensively developing country that widely demonstrates its potential to the whole world,” said President Islam Karimov. “This country holds a worthy place among developed states in information technology. In 2004 alone, it exported $12.5b worth of information technology. It has made big steps recently in military technology and space research.”  
Concerning the goals of his visit, President Islam Karimov said that Uzbekistan values cooperation with India in economics, culture and education.  
There are more than 40 documents to cover the legal basis of socio-political, economic and cultural cooperation between our countries.  
There are more than 30 JVs in Uzbekistan with Indian entrepreneurs. Trade turnover for the first 11 months of 2004 was $121m.  
High level meetings and the signing of documents will mean that the visit of President Islam Karimov to India will serve to further develop cooperation between the two countries.  

11 may. President Islam Karimov and President No Mu Hen met with participants of a forum of business circles from both countries. President Karimov called on Korean entrepreneurs to actively cooperate with Uzbek partners. The visit of the Korean president was noted as having great significance to the development of trade-economic ties.  
No Mu Hen noted that President Karimov's economic policies have given positive results. This is seen in the economic cooperation between our countries, he said.  
At the Uzbek-South Korean business forum, it was noted that cooperation is dynamically developing in various areas, in particular, in trade, machine building, textiles, telecommunications and information technology, oil and gas, and tourism.  
In January a delegation of the Federation of SME of Korea visited Uzbekistan for a business seminar.  
Korea is one of our largest trade-economic partners. In January-February, trade turnover was more than $110m.  
The forum noted the presidential decree of 11/4/5 "On additional measures to stimulate the attraction of direct private foriegn investment" and its intention to broaden cooperation.  
Korean entrepreneurs learned about Uzbekistan's economic potential and the conditions for foreign investors.  

25 may. The state visit of President Islam Karimov to China began. During the talks between Chinese Chairman Hu Tzintao and President Islam Karimov, they discussed bilateral relations and their prospects, as well as regional and international problems.  
The official delegations met in a broadened meeting to discuss deepening bilateral trade-economic, scientific-technical, social and cultural ties. The sides paid special attention to further development of cooperation in oil and gas, tourism, education, technology, transport communications, textiles and metallurgy.  
At the conclusion of the talks, the President and Chairman signed an Agreement on friendship, cooperation and partnership. Dozens of documents concerning further development of ties in difference spheres were also signed.  

28 june. President Islam Karimov visited Moscow. Russia is a strategic partner of Uzbekistan. Ties are strengthening between our countries in various spheres. Last year trade turnover was $1.6419b, and in the first quarter if this year - $428.7m. There are 360 JVs with Russian capital. The presidents signed an Agreement on strategic partnership in Tashkent which serves to further develop cooperation.  
During the visit of President Islam Karimov to Moscow, they discussed the present situation and prospects for cooperation, questions of guaranteeing regional security, joint action in the battle with international terorism and cooperation in the framework of international and regional organizations.  

6 july. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization began its regular summit of member heads of state attended by President Islam Karimov.  
During the meeting of heads of state of Uzbekistan, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the current position of cooperation and prospects were discussed, as well as strengthening security and broadening all round trade-economic partnership. The main directions of SCO activity include security, trade-economic activity, development of cultural and scientific cooperation, and strengthening ties in transport-communications.  
The presidents discussed regional and international problems, raising the effectiveness of the battle against terrorism, organized crime, narcotics and weapons smuggling.  
During the broadened meetings of delegations, proposals about development of the SCO were heard.  
The process of realizing agreement on matters from last year’s Tashkent summit, activity of the regional anti-terrorist structure (RATS) in Uzbekistan and the SCO secretariat in Peking were heard. Broadening ties in order to form a common market for Central Asia and support for trade-economic ties, use of water-energy resources, cooperation in transport, science, education, health, culture, sports, tourism and ecology were heard.  
The leaders discussed organizing a fund for developing regional cooperation in the SCO and a forum of business circles, and discussed cooperation in rebuilding Afghanistan.  
A Declaration and a Conception of cooperation in the SCO in the fight with terrorism and separatism were signed, as well as statutes on permanent representatives of SCO members in RATS.  

2 october. The state visit of President Islam Karimov to Malaysia began. President Karimov met Malaysian King Tuanku Saied Siradjuddin Djamalullail at the official opening ceremony and later they had one on one talks about further development of mutual relations and broadening trade-economic cooperation, as well as international and regional problems. They agreed that mutual relations should be raised to a new level. They agreed on many international issues.  
At the Tashkent airport on departure, President Karimov told journalists that cooperation with Malaysia is important as one of the initiators of southeast Asian economic group ACEAN.  
President Karimov met with Prime minster Abdula Badavi. They noted the development of socio-political and scientific-cultural cooperation, but agreed that the level of trade-economic ties is inadequate.  
At the meeting of delegations headed by the President and Prime minister, they discussed practical aspects of broadening cooperation. The number of JVs should be increased. Business circles shuld be supported in banking, transport, tourism, information, electronics, aviation construction, furniture, oil and gas, agriculture, chemical and food industries.  

6 october. President Islam Karimov left for St Petersburg for the regular session of the Central Asian Cooperation organization (CACO) heads of state.  
At the Tashkent airport he spoke with journalists. "Concerning CACO, we should remember the role it plays in the life of the people living here," said the President. "The economic interests of the people of Central Asia are closely connected. Take energy, mineral wealth or communications. Our interests coincide in all spheres. We should decide our problems jointly.  
Thus it is difficult to say that CACO fully carries out the necessary tasks. It is necessary to activate this organization and guarantee the execution of its decisions.  
At the summit, problems of guaranteeing regional security, further development of trade-economic cooperation, the joint struggle against terrorism and narco-business, and activating the work of CACO will be considered.