Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 15 December 2020, within the framework of the visit of the government delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Japan in Tokyo, the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi.

The meeting was devoted to the prospects for expanding bilateral cooperation in the political, trade, economic, financial, technical, cultural and humanitarian spheres. It was noted that with Japan, which is one of the key strategic partners of Uzbekistan in the Asia-Pacific region, a high level of trust and mutual understanding has been established, as well as an effective mechanism of mutual support in the international arena and within the framework of work in international organizations has been developed.

In this context, the Uzbek side noted the significant contribution of Japan to the fight against the consequences of the coronavirus in Uzbekistan and expressed gratitude for the humanitarian and financial support provided in the implementation of measures to counter the pandemic. In view of the improvement in the epidemiological situation in Uzbekistan, the issue of abolishing in the near future the ban on the entry of Uzbek citizens to Japan, as well as reducing the level of warning on travel to Uzbekistan for Japanese citizens was discussed.

The importance of interaction between the two countries within the framework of the dialogue "Central Asia + Japan" was noted. The successful outcomes of the extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers held on 11 August 2020 under the chairmanship of Japan were highlighted, and issues were discussed within the agenda of the next meeting to be held in Tokyo in 2021.

During the negotiations, the current state of implementation of investment and trade agreements reached during the high-level visit to Japan in December 2019 was also considered - and this is a number of important bilateral documents and major agreements worth more than US$6.5 billion.

Among the positive trends of cooperation, the achieved successes in the implementation of energy projects in Uzbekistan were separately highlighted - in particular, through joint efforts, the commissioning of the second power unit at the Navoi thermal power plant and the Turakurgan thermal power plant was ensured. 

The parties indicated the readiness of the two countries to jointly coordinate the relevant ministries and financial institutions in order to implement projects for the construction of the third and fourth combined cycle plants at the Navoi thermal power plant (Navoi-3 and Navoi-4).

Also, following the meeting, an agreement was reached on cooperation in preparation for the organization in 2022 of the Year of Culture of Uzbekistan in Japan and the Year of Culture of Japan in Uzbekistan, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Japan.

During the talks, the parties also discussed a number of practical issues related to cooperation in a wide range of areas.