Dear Members and Friends,
The year is half over, its vacation time, and if you are like me, you're wondering where and how the time has gone. It's the same for AmCham, in that we've had a busy first half but it's all gone too fast and we have a lot of things to accomplish before the next holiday season at yearend.
One of our priorities is to assure that our monthly meetings are notable events with engaging speakers. Another is to continue producing a quarterly magazine that is useful, informative and a pleasure to read. Next is to make sure that we do not neglect our social activities and the opportunity to network and see friends at our regular mixers.
Another key priority is to assure that AmCham is at the forefront of the changes and developments taking place in Uzbekistan. We do this through our committees, conferences and out-reach activities.
As usual we have members and friends who leave. We wish our departing colleagues the very best and hope that the ties and friendships made here will continue.
Let's get ready for a busy fall and my warmest regards to you all.

Don Nicholson

Letter from the Project Coordinator

Dear Readers,
We were involved in the preparation of this issue during the hot days of the "Chilla" and you will read it in the cooler days of a typical autumn in Uzbekistan
This is the third issue of Business  Connections  in its expanded format and we continue to present our regular features about recent changes in legislation, decrees and resolutions which affect our business community, tax and customs news, reports on past events, AmCham member profiles, feature articles, interviews, committee activities, and regional AmCham news.
We have added in this issue a feature article dealing with the topic of six centuries of diplomatic history of this region with Europe. This article reminds us all that our business environment depends on having stable political relationships between trading partners. Another feature article reporting on the recent AUCC meeting in USA gives us some hope the tensions of past events and political stresses are easing and we feel a new atmosphere of expanding and positive steps being taken to improve the business climate here in Uzbekistan.
Our publication needs your inputs, suggestions and criticisms in order for it to properly reflect the interests of our AmCham community and to help mold the image AmCham wants to project to our friends, partners and host government.

Charles Rudd