President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is reportedly intending to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan in February of this year.
On 10 January 2017, the Uzbek Foreign Minister received the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Amani al-Itr.
Uzbekistan's Cabinet of Ministers with its Jan 3 decree has created an Information and Analytical Department for comprehensive socio-economic development of territories, Norma.uz said.
On January 9, the Uzbek Foreign Minister, Abdulaziz Kamilov received the Afghan Foreign Ministry delegation led by Deputy Minister, Hekmat Khalil Karzai.
Abolishment of visas for tourists from 27 countries arriving in Uzbekistan, which was to take effect from 1 April 2017, has been postponed until 1 January 2021. This postponement has been laid by the Dec 22 Presidential Decree.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the eve of the Day of workers of the prosecution service (celebrated for the first time this January 8) on Saturday met with a group of employees of this area, UzA said.
90 km of steel trunk at Karshi to Dehkanabad railway route were electrified on the New Year's Eve. The works were launched in September 2016, a statement of Uzbekistan Railways said.
A new senior management of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Uzbekistan has been selected at the committee’s Jan 6 General Assembly in Tashkent.
Uzbek enterprises in 2016 exported 818.5 thousand tons of fruits and vegetables, a 38.3% increase to the previous year, a statement of UzAgroEksport said.
Djovdatkhon Inagamov, who from 2015 served as chairman to Mahalla Charity Fund, has been appointed as mayor of Uchtepa district of Tashkent, the press service of Tashkent mayor said.
On January 5 the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with a group of health care leaders and doctors, UzA said. The videoconference meeting was attended by members of the government, senators, governors, heads of ministries and agencies, state and public organizations, rectors of medical schools, leaders of the health care system.
On January 5, a telephone conversation was held between the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the Acting President of the Republic of Korea Hwan Kyo-ahn at the initiative of the South Korean side, the press service of the Presidency of Uzbekistan said.
An International Commercial Arbitration court with a panel including foreign judges could be established in Uzbekistan this year. A draft law on this, developed by the Chamber of Commerce, has been published for discussion on the Single portal of online public services.
Construction of Sergeli overground line, part of Tashkent underground, is estimated to cost 170.1 million US dollars. The project estimates are given in the Nov 29, 2016 Presidential Resolution, published on January 5 on the website of the Finance Ministry.
The government has set as of January 1, 2017 new cigarette excise tax rate pursuant the Presidential decree "On main macroeconomic indicators and parameters of the State Budget of Uzbekistan for 2017". The excise tax for with filter and non-filter cigarettes increased (for 1000 units) from 28.794 to 37.432 thousand soums (+29.9%).
Abdusalom Azizov has been appointed as Interior Minister of Uzbekistan, a January 4 statement of the Interior Ministry website said.
The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on January 3 signed a law "On Countering Corruption", which will take effect from the date of publication. The text of the document was released on January 4 in Xalq So’zi newspaper.
The purpose of the law is to regulate relations in countering corruption. The document gives definitions to the concepts of "corruption", "corruption offense" and "conflict of interest".
The basic principles of countering corruption, according to the document is the legality; priority of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of citizens; openness and transparency, system approach; interaction between the state and civil society; priority measures to prevent corruption and the inevitability of punishment.
Starting from January 1, the fellows of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan will receive a monthly non-taxable fee (royalty), equivalent of 10 minimum wages (about 1.5 million soums). This is foreseen by the Decree of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of 29 December.
On January 2, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev sent a congratulatory message to the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, on the occasion of 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries:
On January 2, the Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in which he expressed his good wishes on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries: