Japanese expert to become an Adviser to Investments and Foreign Trade Minister of Uzbekistan

As part of the Uzbek government delegation’s visit to Japan, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov met with President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Shinichi Kitaoka on 15 December this year. The issues of expanding financial, technical, cultural and humanitarian cooperation were considered at the meeting.

During the talks, the sides discussed the implementation of the second phase of the project “Development of the value-added chain in the horticultural sector in Uzbekistan” for an additional $200 million. The high efficiency of the first phase of the project was noted, which created 85 greenhouses and 11,000 new jobs in rural areas.

An agreement was reached on the implementation of the “One Village – One Product” project. Jizzakh will be the first region where the project will be implemented. It will help achieve the goals of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda, promote the development of small and medium-sized businesses.

It was also agreed that JICA will assist in attracting leading Japanese companies to implement joint projects in the sectors of the Uzbek economy, using advanced Japanese experience and technologies.

The Uzbek side thanked Hiro Iwazaki, a Japanese expert who has held leading positions in a number of major Japanese corporations and financial institutions, for agreeing to take the role of an adviser from January 2021 to the Uzbek Foreign Trade Minister on attracting foreign direct investment.

Following the meeting, the parties identified the next steps to deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas.

In particular, the Japanese side offered to jointly develop a project to build a multidisciplinary hospital in one of the regions of Uzbekistan. The project will be funded by a JICA grant.

The Japanese side also expressed readiness to launch the JICA Chair grant program for Uzbek students, which will include lectures and master classes with the participation of leading scientists and experts from Japan. At the same time, the JICA leadership announced its intention to increase the number of grants allocated for the training of Uzbek students in leading universities in Japan.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to organize Kitaoka’s visit to Uzbekistan as soon as they lift the restrictions on air transport in the near future that were introduced in connection with the coronavirus pandemic.