The 24th OSCE Ministerial Council, bringing together some 45 Foreign Ministers from across the OSCE region, will take place in Vienna, Austria on 7 and 8 December 2017. At the invitation of the 2017 OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Austria’s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, the Uzbekistan delegation will attend the Council meeting.

Ashraf Ghani accompanied by the Uzbek PM Abdulla Aripov visited the Tashkent Plant of Agricultural Machineries. The Afghanistan delegation familiarized themselves with passenger cars and trucks, agricultural equipment, household appliances and other goods manufactured in Uzbekistan.

20 accords were signed at Kuksaroy residence following the talks between the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, UzA reported. The two leaders also signed a Joint Statement.

Following the official welcoming ceremony of the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani at Kuksaroy residence, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani held talks in narrow format.

Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov is helping the new leader of his native Uzbekistan open up to the outside world and will invest “as much as I can” in the Uzbek economy, he told Reuters in an interview.

President of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, who arrived on an official visit in Tashkent Monday, visited Mustaqillik (transl. Independence) Square in downtown Tashkent, accompanied by Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, UzA said.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev by his December 4 decree amended the tourist visa procedure. According to the Tourism Development Committee, the measure is part of Priority Measures for Tourism Development Program for 2018-2019.

Draft External Labor Migration Bill is being prepared in Uzbekistan and is currently published on the draft regulations public discussion website.

Delegation of Webster University (USA), led by Vice-President Peter Maher, today arrived in Tashkent. The delegation includes the dean of George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology Simmon Cummings and the dean of the School of Education Brenda Fife, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said.

Uzbek PM Abdulla Aripov met with Premier of China Li Keqiang in Sochi (Russia) last week, Xinhua reported. Abdulla Aripov said that China is Uzbekistan’s important partner and that Uzbekistan is ready, jointly with China, to make efforts to boost cooperation in the development of transport and hydropower facilities and further step up comprehensive cooperation.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed decree appointing Komil Allamjonov as the President’s new press secretary, concurrently - the deputy head of the President’s Executive Office.

The Ambassador of Bangladesh to Uzbekistan, Mosud Mannan, answered questions of The Tashkent Times on the current state and future of Uzbekistan-Bangladesh ties.

President of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani will today arrive in Tashkent, UzA reported. Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ashraf Ghani are scheduled to discuss the current state of Uzbek-Afghan ties and the priorities for advancing the long-term cooperation, as well as to exchange views on key international and regional security issues.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev yesterday signed the Additional Measures to Strengthen Guarantees of Citizens' Rights and Freedoms in Judicial-Investigative Procedures Decree.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United States of America Javlon Vakhabov presented his credentials to President of the United States of America Donald Trump.

This year in August, within the framework of the UN Joint Program "Building the Resilience of Communities Affected by the Aral Sea Disaster through a Multi-Partner Human Security Fund for the Aral Sea", UN Volunteers with the assistance of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Karakalpakstan conducted a survey to assess the level of basic knowledge of the population about respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal diseases, as well as mother and child health.

About 92% of total water resources, used in sectors of the economy, is used in agriculture sector, according to the statistics.

Uzbek Defense Ministry signed a contract with RosOboronExport for the supply of twelve Mi-35 attack helicopters, RIA Novosti reported.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev yesterday signed a decree creating the Ministry of Innovative Development. The decree has defined the main vectors of Uzbekistan's innovative development. Earlier Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, the former vice-president of the Academy of Sciences, was appointed as Minister of Innovative Development.

Tashkent police arrested two men, aged 23 and 29, for alleged engaging in homosexual intercourse, Yunusabad district police department said. The two reportedly met on September 3 this year and began to live together in a rented apartment.