Medvedev, Karimov to discuss CentAsia problems Tue.

MOSCOW, April 20 (Itar-Tass) - Talks between the Presidents of Russia
and Uzbekistan, Dmitry Medvedev and Uslam Karimov, are to be held in the
Kremlin here on Tuesday. They had an informal meeting on Monday to discuss
bilateral relations and the situation in the region.
Karimov had repeatedly visited Russia before, and had received
Medvedev in Tashkent twice. The two leaders meet often within the
framework of multilateral sessions of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). A staff member of the Kremlin
administration has told Itar-Tass, "As a result of the visit, the sides
will sign a Joint Statement of the two Presidents, as well as a number of
other bilateral documents".
"The summit in Moscow is a continuation of actively developing top-
and high-level contacts and trust-based dialogue, based on the principles
of strategic partnership and allied relations sealed in the Strategic
Partnership Treaty dated June 16, 2004, and the Treaty on Allied
Relations, dated November 14, 2005," the Kremlin official pointed out.
The source said, "Much attention during the upcoming talks will be
devoted to prospects for stepping up bilateral trade-and-economic
interaction, primarily that in the fuel-and-energy sector, aircraft
construction, transport, and the mining industry". According to the data
of the RF presidential administration, "Russia-Uzbekistan trade turnover
in 2009 ran at $2,539 million (a 24-percent decline as compared with that
in 2008). Export decreased by 17 percent (to run at $1,696.5 million)
while import diminished by 35 percent (to amount to $842.7 million)".
However, bilateral trade in the January-February 2010 period amounted to
$285 million, which was 11 percent more than in the corresponding period
of last year.
Russian companies that actively operate in Uzbekistan are the Western
Ural engineering company, the Aeroflot, TransAero, Sibir, Wimm-Bill-Dann
Food Products, and the Beeline and MTS cellular phone communication
operators.
Gazprom is busy filling a contact for the purchase of 15,500 million
cubic metres of Uzbekistan's gas in 2010. Besides, Gazprom and
Uzbekneftegaz carry out geological prospecting in the Ustyurt Region. As
far as the Lukoil company is concerned, its investments in the
Uzbekistan's economy amount to an aggregate of over $800 million.
The Kremlin official said, "The holding of the 12th session of the
Intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation in Tashkent on March
31 was an important phase of work to prepare the present visit. The
Commission's main areas of work are to implement the action plan to the
2008-2012 Programme for Economic Cooperation, develop the legal-treaty
basis for cooperation, and expand interaction in the fuel-and-energy
sector, in the fields of aircraft construction, transport, and scientific
and technical cooperation".
"Much attention during the summit talks will be given to developing
humanitarian and cultural interaction, giving greater scope to the
Russian-language cultural and educational space, and to supporting and
preserving the Russian language and the ethnic cultural distinctiveness of
our compatriots in Uzbekistan, "the source went on to say.
The Kremlin official emphasized, "One of central subjects of
discussion at the talks will be problems of ensuring security and
stability in Central Asia, expansion of the two countries' interaction in
efforts to neutralize the most dangerous challenges as of now
international terrorism, and organized crime -- and coordinated efforts in
fighting the trafficking of narcotics".
The two Presidents are to consider matters connected with the
activities of the SCO in the light of Uzbekistan's presidency in the
Organization and the preparations for an SCO summit, scheduled to be held
in Tashkent in June this year.
Medvedev and Karimov "are also to discuss substantively interaction
within the scope of the CIS, the CSTO, and other international
organizations".
"As for other matters of current importance on the international
agenda, the sides are to devote special attention to cooperation between
Russia and Uzbekistan within the framework of efforts of the world
community to promote the intra-Afghan peace process and economic
restoration of that country ," the Kremlin official added.

.Lukashenko to deliver Annual Address to Belarus people.

MINSK, April 20 (Itar-Tass) - President Alexander Lukashenko will
deliver an Annual Address to the people and National Assembly (parliament)
of Belarus here on Tuesday.
A presidential press service official has told Itar-Tass, "The Address
is to be read out at a joint session of both houses of parliament. Top
officials of the country, government members, the directors of state
administration bodies, members of the Diplomatic Corps, and media people
have been invited to attend the session".
The Presidential Address is to be broadcast live by three national
television channels and by Belarus radio.
The tradition of Presidential Addresses to the Belarusian people and
parliament has been maintained since the spring of 1997.
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