| October 2-October 9, 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ukraine and Uzbekistan discuss measures to fight terrorism
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|  krainian President Leonid Kuchma and Uzbek
President Islam Karimov spoke in favour close bilateral cooperation in fighting
terrorism.
Speaking at a joint press conference on Thursday, Kuchma said the two
countries should join efforts to strengthen military and technical cooperation and
"we will work on it actively".
Karimov noted that "moral, political, including military and technical support has
great significance for Uzbekistan."
The Uzbek president said he and Kuchma discussed measures to fight
extremism in Central Asia, combat religious extremism and international
terrorism.
He believes that the major purpose of the events in southern Kirghizia is "to
overthrown the constitutional regime in Kirghizia and establish an extremist state
based on sharia laws."
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Ukraine and Uzbekistan sign economic cooperation treaty
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|  n agreement on economic cooperation between Ukraine and Uzbekistan for 1999-2009 was
signed here on Thursday by President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine and his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov.
At the signing ceremony, the parties stressed that the agreement "sets up the base for the intensification of bilateral cooperation in
economic priorities." It stipulates the interaction of the countries in tax policies, anti-monopoly regulation, and envisages
concerted efforts in cooperative movement.
Kuchma and Karimov, who is in Kiev on a two-day official visit, have acknowledged in a communique that both countries are
looking for "the intensification of strategic partnership in all areas of cooperation," bilateral and in the framework of international
organisations.
The trade turnover between Ukraine and Uzbekistan is expected to increase by 20 percent this year. Uzbekistan has confirmed
the intention to export to Ukraine cotton for textile industry. The Central Asian republic is interested in Ukrainian products of
ferrous metallurgy.
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Tajiks officially protest over Uzbek bombing raids
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|  ajikistan sent a formal protest to Uzbekistan on Wednesday over bombing raids it said were
carried out by Uzbek planes on its territory in the last few days.
"The Tajik Foreign Ministry today sent a note of protest to Uzbekistan, which contains a protest against Uzbek planes invading
Tajikistan's air space and bomb attacks carried out by them on eastern regions of Tajikistan," a ministry source said.
Tajikistan sent a similar note to its Central Asian neighbour in August, after Uzbek planes accidentally bombed remote regions in
eastern Tajikistan close to the Kyrgyz border.
Kyrgyzstan had enlisted Uzbekistan's help to flush out hundreds of armed guerrillas hiding in mountain passes in its Batken and
Chon-Alai districts near to the Tajik border.
The statement is the first official indication that unidentified fighters who had attacked Tajik territory daily between Saturday and
Tuesday belonged to Uzbekistan.
Tajikistan's Islamic opposition movement said in a statement earlier on Wednesday that there had been a number of deaths as a
result of the raids.
Kyrgyzstan suspended Uzbek sorties over its territory after fighters mistakenly attacked a village killing four civilians and injuring
16. It has yet to confirm that it has lifted the suspension.
The Tajik Foreign Ministry source, who declined to be named, said that the note had expressed concern that the Uzbek raids
could affect internal stability in Tajikistan.
The impoverished former Soviet republic of six million was the scene of a civil war between Islamic and Moscow-backed
government forces from 1992 to 1997. The peace since has been fragile amid deep-rooted suspicion between the two sides.
The opposition's statement said the latest raids appeared to be aimed against Uzbek refugees living in Tajik areas bordering
Kyrgyzstan opposed to Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
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Tajikistan opposition blames air raids on Uzbeks
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| ajikistan's Islamic opposition blamed Uzbekistan on Wednesday for recent air raids on Tajik
territory, adding that they had caused a number of deaths and threatened to undermine the country's fragile peace process.
"The UTO (United Tajik Opposition) leadership strongly condemns these barbaric bomb attacks by Uzbek aviation on Tajik
territory and demands that they be stopped immediately," opposition head Said Abdullo Nuri said in statement.
Tajik government officials have declined to comment on the air attacks, carried out daily by unidentified fighters over remote
areas of eastern Tajikistan from Saturday to Tuesday.
Uzbekistan admitted bombing Tajik territory by mistake in August when carrying out sorties over neighbouring Kyrgyzstan,
where hundreds of gunmen are hiding with hostages in remote mountain passes next to the Tajik border.
On that occasion Tajikistan's Moscow-backed government, which fought a five-year civil war against UTO forces from 1992 to
1997, strongly condemned the attacks.
Some political analysts in Tajikistan suggested that the government's silence this time around meant it may had given the approval
for the latest raids.
The UTO statement said the latest bombing raids appeared to be aimed at Uzbek refugees living in Tajik areas bordering
Kyrgyzstan who are opposed to Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
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South Korea and Uzbekistan seek closer ties
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|  outh Korea and Uzbekistan Tuesday issued a 12-point joint statement on cooperative
partnership oriented toward the 21st century after a summit here.
In the statement, South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung and his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov agreed to take measures to
further enhance bilateral relations in political, economic, cultural and other respects.
Karimov expressed his support for Seoul's engagement policy toward Pyongyang to demolish legacy of the Cold War on the
Korean peninsula while Kim promised to help Uzbekistan modernize its textile industry and provide 36 million U.S. dollars for
the central Asian nation's education.
The two leaders also agreed to push for early conclusion of treaties on criminal extradition and judicial cooperation.
The Uzbek president's visit will help increase mutual complementary economic cooperation between the two nations, with South
Korea providing capital and technology and Uzbekistan natural resources and labor, said a South Korean official.
During his third trip in South Korea, Karimov, who arrived here Monday for a three-day visit, is expected to meet other South
Korean political and business leaders.
The two states established diplomatic ties in 1992 and since then they have maintained good relations, particularly in the
economic field.
Currently, South Korea is Uzbekistan's second largest trading partner and the largest foreign investor.
The two-way trade volume between the two countries hit 520 million U.S. dollars and South Korea invested a total of 910
million U.S. dollars as of 1998, mainly in auto and textile industries in the central Asian country, which has some 240, 000 ethnic
Koreans, most of who are descendants of Koreans relocated from the Far East in 1937. During a meeting with the President of the Daewoo Group of Companies, Kim Woo Jung, President Karimov discussed new projects for the UzDaewoo Auto car factory in Uzbekistan. The factory is planning to manufacture two new types of Daewoo vehicles like Nexia-II and Matiz and to open a motor factory for Daewoo vehicles in Tashkent. The first 18-month-long project will cost 80 million dollars with 40% being invested by UzDaewoo Auto and the rest by the South Korean Eximbank. The second project will cost 130 million dollars. The project will be financed by the Government of Uzbekistan and the South Korean Eximbank evenly.
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Uzbek President to arrive in Kiev on Thursday
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|  resident Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan arrives in Kiev on Thursday for a two-day visit.
This will be a fourth trip by the Uzbek Head of State to Ukraine. The first one was made in August 1992, the second one in
November 1994, and the third one in February last year.
Karimov is to hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Leonid Kuchma in a one-on-one meeting and subsequently in a broader
format, and meet with Ukraine's Premier.
An agreement on economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Ukraine for the period from 1999 to 2008 is expected to be
signed at State level as a result of the visit. The two Heads of State are also to issue a Joint Statement.
An official at the Ukrainian Embassy in Uzbekistan has told Itar-Tass that "Uzbekistan is one of Ukraine's promising business
partners. Relations between our states have been elevated to the level of strategic partnership". In particular, trade turnover ran
at more than 300 million U.S. dollars last year, the official said.
Uzbekistan is a traditional supplier of cotton, non-ferrous and rare-earth metals to Ukraine. The import of Uzbek tobacco,
tomatoes, technical oils and cotton fabrics has gained is scope as well.
Natural gas deliveries last year amounted to about 10,000 million cubic metres. The two countries established fruitful bilateral
cooperation in aircraft construction, the cooperation which can enable the two countries to achieve higher indicators in this
respect.
The two republics actively establish direct contacts between enterprises, joint-stock companies, firms and businessmen.
Inter-regional business contacts have been established between Ukraine's Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Poltava, Lugansk,
and Odessa regions, and Uzbekistan's Navoi, Fergana, Surkha-Darya and Andizhan regions.
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Karimov makes border inspection
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| [Presenter]
[Correspondent, over video of Karimov arriving at an airport, meeting Uzbek Defence Minister Hikmatulla Tursunov and other military officials and local people] Kyrgyzstan has been a source of tension for more than a month now. [passage omitted: Uzbekistan has undertaken all the necessary measures against "terrorist" threats] President Islam Karimov is on this visit to familiarize himself with the situation in the Fergana Valley. The leader of the country took an interest in the people's mood, the state of affairs in the border areas and the actions being taken by the power-wielding bodies to ensure security for our people. President Islam Karimov held a meeting at the eastern military command at which chief officers of the power-wielding bodies told the head of state of the measures and plans undertaken to ensure peace and maintain the territorial integrity of our state in the current situation. Islam Karimov was positive in his assessment of what had been done and gave the relevant recommendations. Afterwards, President Islam Karimov visited the Rishton and Ravat customs and border check-points to inspect how military and social conditions had been arranged there. The head of state had a cordial talk with local people and our country's border guards. Winding up his visit, Karimov fielded questions of concern for all of us: stability, security and what threatens these. The most important thing for me in this life is the peace and well-being of my people, the head of Uzbekistan said. I know that people trust me, the president, as a guarantor of peace and tranquility, and never will I allow them to be shattered.
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Some suspects in Uzbek bombing released
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| zbek Interior Ministry spokesman Batyr Zieev said on 22 September that more
than 700 people detained in connection with the 16 February
bombings in Tashkent have been released in recent months,
RFE/RL's Tashkent bureau reported. He added that most of
those released were members of the Islamic political movement
Hezbi Takhrir. The deputy head of Uzbekistan's human rights
agency, Abdurashid Irisbaev, said the initial charges brought
against the suspects could not be corroborated.
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