Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Japan regularly holds meetings and events with volunteers of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

They are introduced to the modern development of Uzbekistan, important social and political events in the country, the progress of large-scale transformations.

Recently, a regular meeting took place at the Embassy with a group of former Japanese volunteers - Mari Ishikawa, Takumi Ito, Akihiro Kavano and Tomotaka Aoki, who worked in Uzbekistan in different years.

During the meeting, they discussed the role of volunteers in the development of Uzbek-Japanese relations, it was noted that over the 20 years of the implementation of the JICA volunteer program, about 350 Japanese specialists and experts in the fields of education, healthcare, finance, business, culture and sports were in our country. They expressed gratitude for the assistance that Japanese volunteers provide after returning to their homeland, presenting the culture, art and tourism potential of Uzbekistan.

It should be noted that JICA volunteers did not remain indifferent to the tragedy that befell the residents of Sardoba in May this year. Together with the Associations of Uzbek Youth in Japan, they held a charity event, organizing the sale of books about Uzbekistan and a number of online seminars for the Japanese public. As a result of these events, 223 thousand yen (about 2.2 thousand US dollars) were collected to help the victims. During the meeting at the Embassy, Japanese volunteers handed over the collected funds to the Association of Uzbek Youth in Japan. These funds will be used to purchase portfolios and educational supplies, which, in cooperation with the Agency for Youth Affairs of Uzbekistan, will be sent to students in the affected regions.

At the end of the meeting, the Japanese volunteers confirmed their readiness to maintain close contacts with the Embassy and participate in various joint events, to promote the further development of Uzbek-Japanese cooperation.