Ergash Shoismatov
Ergash Rahmatullayevich Shoismatov (Russified form Shaismatov is also used) is the current Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan. He is born in 1951 and a graduate of Tashkent Polytechnical Institute.[1]
On August 30, 2006 Shoismatov announced that the Uzbek government and an international consortium consisting of state-run Uzbekneftegaz, LUKoil Overseas, Petronas, Korea National Oil Corporation, and China National Petroleum Corporation had signed a production-sharing agreement to explore and develop oil and gas fields in the Aral Sea, saying, "The Aral Sea is largely unknown, but it holds a lot of promise in terms of finding oil and gas. There is risk, of course, but we believe in the success of this unique project." The consortium was created in September 2005.[2]