Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 14 December, within the framework of the visit of a government delegation to Japan in Tokyo, the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov met with the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance of Japan Taro Aso, during which topical issues of political, trade and economic cooperation between the two countries were discussed.

During the dialogue, the parties voiced their commitment to implementing the bilateral agreements reached during the high-level visit to Japan in December 2019, which gave a powerful impetus to the development of strategic cooperation between the two states, and also considered the current results of joint work in this direction.

It was noted that the economic opportunities of Uzbekistan in synergy with advanced Japanese technologies are a reliable basis for a mutually beneficial investment partnership. As an example of successful cooperation, the project "Development of the value added chain in the horticultural sector", implemented with the financial assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, was considered. The implementation of the first phase of this project made it possible to provide financial support for the implementation of 492 investment projects in the agro-industrial sector and create more than 11 thousand new jobs in rural areas of Uzbekistan.

In this vein, the parties agreed on a mechanism for further interaction to implement the next stages of this project, as well as on a mutual basis recognized the prospects for expanding mutually beneficial cooperation and implementing new projects in priority areas such as energy, agriculture, chemical industry and infrastructure development.

Also, the Government of Japan was grateful for the financial and humanitarian support provided to Uzbekistan in the implementation of measures to counter the pandemic and ensure the protection of public health.

At the end of the meeting, the ceremony of presenting the Order of Dustlik to Deputy Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso, which he was awarded in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for his invaluable contribution to the development of bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and Japan, took place.

Accepting the high state award, Taro Aso expressed his sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev for the high assessment of his activities and assured him of his commitment to further deepening partnership relations between the two countries.