POLITICIAN AND DIPLOMAT (1965 - 1970). RASHIDOV AND THE GOLD OF MURUNTAU
In addition to the "white gold" (cotton), there was another strong currency in Uzbekistan that helped strengthen its position within the Soviet Union – real gold.
Under Rashidov, the republic developed a new industry for itself, creating about a dozen mines, including the world's largest gold mining enterprise Muruntau. In the very beginning of his office, in the early 1960s, Rashidov directed republican geologists to search for new gold deposits in Uzbekistan.
When Uzbek geologists kept reporting on new gold deposits in the republic, Moscow was sceptical about that. And this reaction could not be ignored because the Uzbek authorities simply were not able to develop this industry without the consent of the central authorities.
