UZBEKISTAN ECONOMIC UPDATE.

The government of Uzbekistan and the European Commission initialed April 29 in Tashkent an agreement on partnership and cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union. The agreement envisages, among other things, economic cooperation in various areas; creation of conditions for the establishment of joint companies; protection of industrial, trade, and intellectual property; and facilities for Uzbek exports to European Union member countries. (Interfax, April 30)

The Australian company Western Corporation Ltd. has won a tender for extracting and processing gold ores at two sites of the Zarnitan mining complex in Samarkand region. The company plans to use an advanced mining technique it developed in Australia and to build a new processing plant with up-to-date technology. Zarnitan gold ore is classified as high in metal content. Efforts to mine it during the final Soviet years fell short of expectations. (RIA, April 29)

Kyrgyzstan Swapping Shares for Debts to Russia.