UZBEKISTAN: PRESIDENTIAL DECREES ON SENIOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000912 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2018 TAGS: PGOV PINR UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: PRESIDENTIAL DECREES ON SENIOR GOVERNMENT HIRINGS AND FIRINGS Classified By: POLOFF Steven Prohaska for reasons 1.4 (b, d). ¶1. (C) An Embassy contact recently provided us with excerpts from a publication entitled "Official Bulletin of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament),2008," which include several Presidential decrees on appointments and dismissals of senior-level government officials. ¶2. (C) According to Presidential decree 325, dated June 10, 2008, Kuvondik Sanakulov has been relieved of his position as Deputy Prime Minister - Chief of the Complex of the Cabinet of Ministers for Development of Machinery, Metallurgy, Geology, and Extraction and Processing of Mineral Resources. According to the contact, as Deputy Prime Minister Sanakulov ran the al-Malik Mining and Metallurgical Combine in Angren, but is now heading up the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine. (Comment: While Sanakulov's dismissal from his position as Deputy Prime Minister is technically a demotion, his new position affords him access to far greater wealth--the Combine produces large quantities of gold and uranium--than was the case when he headed up al-Malik. Exploiting his new position as head of the Combine may provide the National Security Service with additional "kompromat" on him, however, and could pave the way to charges similar to those leveled against his predecessor, Nikolai Kucherskiy. End comment.) ¶3. (C) According to Presidential decree 332, dated June 5, 2008, President Karimov has appointed Zafar Sharopovich Ruziev as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Water Management on Agricultural Technologies. ¶4. (C) According to Presidential decree 334, dated June 11, 2008, Shakir Nasibullayevich Faizullayev has been appointed Deputy Minister of Economy for Economic Modernization, Development of Industry, and Construction of Infrastructure. ¶5. (C) According to Presidential decree 335, dated June 11, 2008, President Karimov has dismissed Gairat Toirovich Kodirov from his position as First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs - Chief of the Main Department of Criminal Investigations and Combating Terrorism. (Comment: The Embassy contact indicated that Kodirov was appointed as Chief of the Department of Internal Affairs for Samarkand province. An Embassy FSN has corroborated this. Appointing Kodirov, a Tashkent native, to this post is consistent with Karimov's policy of rotating government officials across provinces to prevent clans from becoming too powerful. End comment.) ¶6. (C) According to Presidential decree 340, dated June 25, 2008, Aziz Abdukahharovich Abdukhakimov has been appointed First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Management of State Property (Goskomimuschestvo). BUTCHER