Interfax
October 20

Uzbekneftegaz CEO Shavkat Mazhitov, who has occupied this post since January this year, has been relieved from his duties by presidential decree in connection with his appointment to a different position.

He is being replaced by Abdusalom Azizov, who previously worked as an advisor to the Uzbek president on coordinating the activities of law- enforcement and control authorities. Azizov headed the Tashkent Department of the Interior in 2001-2002.

Mazhitov has been appointed as Uzbekneftegaz chief engineer and chief manager, a position that was vacant prior to this.

Uzbekneftegaz is a monopoly operator in the Uzbek oil and gas complex and unites nine joint stock companies. The company's charter capital amounts to $1.555 billion.

The Uzbek State Statistics Department said that in 2002 Uzbekneftegaz increased natural gas production 1.8% year-on-year to 57.67 billion cubic meters. Production of liquid hydrocarbons (oil, gas condensate) last year increased 0.3% to 7.198 million tonnes.

---