Deputies of the lower house of parliament considered several draft bills on Uzbekistan’s joining to the major international copyright protection treaties.

The Special Representative of the Uzbek President for Afghanistan Ismatulla Irgashev met with, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy Alan Meltzer, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Uzbekistan, a major importer of Ukrainian white sugar, has suspended imports from the country, Ukraine’s sugar union Ukrtsukor said on Friday. According to the Association, Uzbekistan-bound sugar rae not being unloaded and is not undergoing customs clear. This situation was cuased with the ban on accepting goods from Ukraine, the statement says.

The Uzbek Ambassador stationed in Ankara, Alisher Agzamhodjaev, presented his credentials to the President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev.

From November 12 to 24 2018, a team from the French army 27th Mountain Infantry Battalion trained Uzbek army trainers on mountain combat in the Forish training ground.

Uzbekistan has decided to join the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Convention, the speaker of the Federation Council, the chairman of the IPA CIS Council, Valentina Matviyenko said at the meeting of the IPA CIS Council.

The government resolution has been amended, and now foreign citizens and stateless persons will be able to obtain 3-year multiple-entry visas for US$ 300, instead of the current validity of one year, the Justice ministry said.

Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, who is attending the International Conference on Afghanistan in Geneva, met with the President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan yesterday, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said.

Criminal case has been opened against officials of the Labor Migration Agency who are now facing a number of charges, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

Komil Allamjonov has been appointed Acting Director General of the Uzbek Press Agency, the Ministry of Justice said. In October, he was relieved of his post as deputy head of the President’s administration/ press secretary, the positions he held since December 2017.

Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, who is attending the International Conference on Afghanistan in Geneva, met with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asia AffairsAlice Wells Tuesday.

President Mirziyoyev signed a decree on Monday allowing individuals, among others, to dig precious metals as of March 1, 2019. At present, only state-owned companies - Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Complex and Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex are allowed to mine precious metals.

The director of the Uzbek Agency for Press and Information Laziz Tangriev has resigned at his own request, a source in the government said.

109th Session of the UN Migration Agency's Council, which opened yesterday in Geneva, has voted to support the application of the Republic of Uzbekistan to join IOM as a Member State, bringing the total membership to 173.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan Ulugbek Maksudov yesterday presented his credentials to the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said.

President of Uzbekistan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Shavkat Mirziyoyev has ordered the start of large-scale test of military readiness of servicemen in Uzbekistan. The troops of the Ministry of Defense were alerted for drill on Monday morning.

Unfinished apartment buildings in Tashkent’s Mirzo-Ulugbek district erected with gross violations of technical and fire regulations are being demolished, Uzbekistan 24 reported.

In a significant step forward for relations between Uzbekistan and the European Union, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, have yesterday launched negotiations for a new, comprehensive bilateral agreement. 

The visit of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Brussels will take place once the parties complete the negotiations on the basic documents of bilateral and regional cooperation, said the Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov following the meeting of the Uzbekistan-EU Cooperation Council in Brussels.

The government of Uzbekistan has decided to invite a UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the Director of the National Center for Human Rights of Uzbekistan Akmal Saidov announced today.