Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 29 August 2020, the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov met with the leadership of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) - the appointed head of the representative office in Uzbekistan S. Miyazaki and outgoing head of JICA office M. Takasaka.

During the meeting, issues of current cooperation and measures to accelerate the implementation of JICA projects in Uzbekistan were discussed.

In particular, further joint steps were outlined within the framework of the project "Development of the value added chain in the horticultural sector", focused on increasing the competitiveness of domestic agricultural products, increasing export potential and providing employment, primarily in rural areas.

The Uzbek side expressed special gratitude to M. Takasaka for the support provided in expanding bilateral cooperation. In this vein, a significant achievement was the signing in December 2019 of the Cooperation Program with JICA totaling US$3.5 billion - the basis for the implementation of joint projects in the medium term.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached with the new head of the JICA office in Uzbekistan to maintain a high level of bilateral partnership, bearing in mind both the accelerated implementation of launched initiatives and the expansion of the scale of cooperation by covering new promising areas.

M. Takasaka ends his activity as the Chief Representative of JICA in Uzbekistan in August this year.