In 2022 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) invested almost US$ 900 million (€839 million) in 26 projects in Uzbekistan, making it the leading recipient of its funding in Central Asia for the third year running. Investments were made in sectors ranging from renewable energy to banking.

In 2022, the Uzbekistan poverty rate drop from 17% to 14%, Shavkat Mirziyoev said at the government meeting. He has set goals for 2023 to cut poverty, through creation of 2 million permanent jobs before the year-end.

On the sidelines of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization in Tashkent, Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan issued a statement on the Roadmap signed with Gazprom. “The goal of the Roadmap signed with Gazprom is to supply required quantities of natural gas to the domestic market. There is no threat of a possible handover of the gas transportation grid to someone or let alone our sovereignty,” the official statement said.

Uzbekneftegaz plans to buy oil from the Turkmen Petronas Çаrigali this year to load the capacities of the Bukhara oil refinery, the company said.

President Mirziyoyev signed decree reducing the number of personnel in ministries and agencies by 24 percent. In particular, the number of deputy heads will decrease from 207 to 144, with 703 vehicles and 10 buildings to be vacated. It has strictly forbidden to hire more management staff from non-budget funds.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, with whom strategic partnership ties were discussed on Tuesday.

On the evening of January 24, a pregnant woman in Ferghana city set herself on fire during a conflict with her Islamic nikah husband in a Chevrolet Matiz. According to the press service of the General Prosecutor's Office ekistan, the man was taking the woman home from the hospital, the conflict began on the basis of the wife's jealousy towards her husband.

Today, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hosted the Foreign Minister of Turkiye Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who arrived in Uzbekistan to attend the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization, the presidential press service said.

The Minister of Energy Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov and the CEO of the Russian Gazprom Alexei Miller signed a road map for cooperation in the gas industry, the press service of Gazprom said.

On January 23, the Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov hosted the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who arrived in Uzbekistan to attend the Foreign Ministers Council meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization.

PM Abdulla Aripov instructed the Ministry of Energy to negotiate with foreign partners for the alternative supply of natural gas, electricity, coal and fuel oil.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan on January 26-27, the presidential press service said. The two leaders are reportedly expected to touch upon the whole range of ways to enhance the Uzbek-Kyrgyz ties of friendship, good neighborliness and strategic partnership.

Uzbekistan Airways has put 4 of its Boeing aircraft for sale as part of the government’s privatization program on Monday, the company said.

Uzhydromet told about the Tashkent weather for tomorrow, January 24. Tashkent weather will be partly cloudy, with no precipitation. There could be fog at night and in the morning, with northeastward wind at 3-8 m/s. Temperature at night 9-11° C below zero, and at daytime - 0-2° C.

Uzbekistan acknowledged the suspension of power exports to Afghanistan and announced plans to resume supplies from January 25, the Ministry of Energy said.

Regular meeting of the council of senior officials of the member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) took place today in Tashkent.

Today, the Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov met with the Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Kairat Sarybay, whose delegation arrived in Uzbekistan as a partner organization, the Foreign Ministry said.

Acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, on Sunday called on Uzbekistan to provide the amount of electricity mentioned in an agreement signed between Kabul and Tashkent.

Turkmenistan is gradually resuming gas exports to Uzbekistan, the Uztransgaz said. As reported earlier, Turkmenistan suspended gas supplies to Uzbekistan from January 12 for technical reasons caused by extreme cold.