Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 23 December 2020, political consultations were held between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Japan in the format of a video conference.

The delegations of the parties were headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Furkat Sidikov and Special Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for Central Asia Shuichi Tokuda.

Issues of further deepening and expanding the Uzbek-Japanese strategic partnership in political, trade, economic, investment, cultural, humanitarian and other spheres, as well as interaction within international organizations and multilateral structures were discussed.

The parties noted with satisfaction that the official visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Japan in December 2019 made it possible to establish a high level of trust and mutual understanding, create the necessary mechanisms to strengthen bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas. The need to take effective measures for the accelerated practical implementation of all the agreements reached at the highest level was noted.

The schedule and organizational aspects of upcoming joint events, including multilateral interaction within the framework of the Japan + Central Asia Dialogue, were considered.

The parties expressed interest in restoring the former dynamics of economic relations and intensifying contacts between the business circles of the two countries.

Particular attention is paid to the issues of cooperation in the field of industrial modernization, development and diversification of the economy of our country through the introduction of modern technologies, implementation of investment projects in the fields of energy, agriculture, education, health care and science.

An important project in the field of education was the recent opening in Tashkent of the Digital University, created jointly with the Japanese company "Digital Knowledge", where online training will be conducted under the program of Japanese universities.

The parties noted the importance of continuing close cooperation on the creation of a joint university with the Japanese company Yamanashi Gakuin. 

During the consultations, an exchange of views on regional and international issues of mutual interest also took place.