On December 15, as part of the visit of the Uzbek government delegation to Japan, the Deputy PM/Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the S. Umurzakov held a meeting with the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Shinichi Kitaoka, during which issues and prospects for expanding the financial and technical and cultural and humanitarian cooperation, the ministry said in a statament.

The parties noted the high pace of implementation of joint projects in Uzbekistan, in particular in the energy, agricultural, educational and other sectors totaling US$ 2.9 billion. At the same time, the Japanese side expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the agricultural sector through the implementation of new projects aimed at increasing the production and export potential of Uzbek horticultural sector.

Thus, the issues of the implementation of the phase II of the project "Development of the value added chain in the horticultural sector in Uzbekistan" for an additional amount of US$ 200 million were reviewed, with the high efficiency of the phase I of the project noted, within the framework of which 85 greenhouses and 11 thousand new jobs in rural areas were created.

JICA will assist in attracting leading Japanese companies to implement joint projects in the Uzbek economy sectors using advanced Japanese experience and technologies.

The Uzbek side expressed gratitude for attracting the Japanese expert - Hiroo Iwazaki, who previously held senior positions in a number of large corporations and financial institutions of Japan, to work as an adviser to the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan on foreign direct investments, starting from January 2021.

Following the meeting, the parties identified further steps to deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas. In particular, the Japanese side voiced a proposal to jointly study a project for the construction of a multifunctional hospital in one of the regions of Uzbekistan, the implementation of which is planned to be carried out at the expense of JICA grant funds.

Also, the Japanese side expressed readiness to launch the JICA Chair grant program, which provides for the organization of lectures and master classes for Uzbek students with the involvement of leading scientists and experts from Japan. At the same time, the JICA leadership announced its intentions to increase the number of grants allocated for training students from Uzbekistan in leading universities in Japan.

At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed that in the near future, as the restrictions on air travel introduced due with the coronavirus pandemic are lifted, Sh. Kitaoka's visit to Uzbekistan will be organized, during which the designated areas of further cooperation will be substantively discussed.