Central Asia

On Kazakh Prime Minister instruction Council of Economic Consultants was established under the Government.

Uzbekistan has begun the construction of a 500-kV high-voltage power transmission line from the Guzor and Surkhan to the border town of Hayratan, Afghanistan.

Members of Kyrgyz Parliament held a moment of silence in honor of the great Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov, who would have turned 80 today.

OAO KAMAZ is to supply 1,600 trucks and spare parts worth US $ 2,6 million to Turkmenistan by the end of 2008.

“Economic growth will be equal almost 5% for the end of 2008,” Nursultan Nazarbaev, Kazakh President said at yesterday’s meeting with heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Kazakhstan.

Last month the Kyrgyz government submitted a draft bill to parliament on possible mark off of the indebted penny and fines of the Electricheskie Stantsii JSC and the Kyrgyz National Power Network Company and possible general debt restructuring – a payback term prolongation.

The number of insolvent enterprises in the past five years in Uzbekistan decreased by 70% and the number of unprofitable enterprises by 65%.

The Russian First Deputy Prime Minister, Victor Zubkov, confirmed the Russian side's readiness to assist Turkmenistan in growing grain crops, corn, lucerne and other farm crops at an interim meeting of the Turkmen-Russian intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation in Ashgabat.

Nursultan Nazarbaev, Kazakh President considers the year 2008 successful for Kazakhstan from economic point of view. “Despite all difficulties our country finishes year normally having growth in economy and investment. Of course, world financial crisis affects our country.

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov has said that the Uzbek economic policy safeguarded Uzbekistan from the global financial crisis. He was speaking at a festive event devoted to the 16th anniversary of the Constitution of Uzbekistan held in Tashkent on December 5.