Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 15 December 2020, within the framework of the visit of a government delegation to Japan, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov held a meeting with President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Shinichi Kitaoka, in during which they discussed issues and prospects for expanding financial, technical, cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

During the dialogue, 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 the horticultural sector of the Republic.

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

The parties paid special attention to joint measures to enhance the development of rural areas and create new jobs. An agreement was reached on the implementation of the project "One village - one product", the pilot region for the implementation of which will be Jizzakh region. The project will contribute to the achievement of the goals of the UN sustainable development agenda and promote the widespread development of small and medium-sized businesses.

An agreement was also reached to assist JICA in attracting leading Japanese companies to implement joint projects in specific sectors of the Uzbek economy using advanced Japanese experience and technologies.

The Uzbek side expressed gratitude for attracting a Japanese expert - Hiroo Iwazaki, who previously held leading 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 the Republic of Uzbekistan on attracting foreign direct investment, starting from January 2021.

Following the meeting, the parties identified further steps to deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas.