Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - Head of the Olympic delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Sports Aziz Abdukhakimov received a delegation from the Mayor’s Office of Maizuru led by Mayor Ryozo Tatami. During the meeting, bilateral cooperation in the field of culture, sports, tourism and education was discussed.

The Japanese side thanked for the high attention paid by Uzbekistan to the development of cooperation with the city of Maizuru (in Kyoto prefecture). According to Ryozo Tatami, an important foundation for the comprehensive development of friendly Uzbek-Japanese relations was laid during the historic visit of the President of Uzbekistan in December 2019.

Also during the meeting, the development of mutually beneficial interaction in the field of sports was discussed, including in terms of organizing trainings and training camps for Uzbek athletes.

It should be noted that the authorities of Maizuru, within the framework of the program of the Japanese Government "Host Town" in preparation for the Olympics, organized pre-Olympic trainings for Uzbek judokas on 12-19 July at a high level.

Particular emphasis is placed on enhancing cooperation in the interregional sphere within the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in 2019 between the years. Rishtan and Maizuru. Currently, together with the mayor’s office, a project is being implemented to grow tea in the regions of the republic (Surkhandarya, Kashkadarya, Fergana, Tashkent) with the involvement of JICA funds - US$0.3 million.

In addition, since this year, bilateral cooperation in the field of personnel training has been implemented. Maizuru Mayor’s Office provides annual scholarships (3 scholarships per year) for citizens of Uzbekistan who are paid to study at the Kyoto Polytechnic College with a specialization in information technology. If successful, the program will be expanded in terms of participants and areas of study.

Maizuru Mayor’s Office also expressed interest in hiring qualified labor force from Uzbekistan. R. Tatami noted that against the background of the decline in the population of Japan, the attraction of Uzbek youth to work is very promising. An agreement was reached on establishing interaction between the relevant organizations of the two countries and the beginning of practical cooperation in this direction.

The city administration has formed a group of fans of about 200 people in order to support Uzbek athletes in the framework of the Olympic Games, as well as a propaganda campaign under the hashtag "Olga, Uzbekistan!" ("Forward, Uzbekistan!").

hIn addition, the Japanese side prepared welcoming and motivating banners in the Uzbek language, the national flag of Uzbekistan was hung around the city, special uniforms were sewn with phrases in the Uzbek language for the employees involved.