Uzbekistan , Japan mull trade ties
By Vusala Abbasova
Japan and Uzbekistan discussed perspectives of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in political, culture, humanitarian and other spheres, as well as regional issues at the meeting in Tashkent on July 13.
Both Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Kentaro Sonoura, participating at the meeting, highlighted the cooperation between Japan and Uzbekistan within international organizations.
The cooperation was discussed within the framework of the Central Asia + Japan dialogue, which was first initiated by Tokyo in 2004. The forum seeks to deepen cooperation between countries of the region, was initiated by Tokyo in 2004.
The sides highly estimated the results of a session of the Uzbek-Japanese and Japanese-Uzbek committees, when a range of agreements on economic cooperation were signed between Uzbekistan and Japan in January of this year.
The agreements include a $3.8 billion package of investment and loan agreements, as well as technical assistance projects.
The sides also mentioned the importance of further strengthening cooperation in various areas, especially in trade and in the political, economic, and humanitarian fields.
Currently, the volume of Japanese investments in Uzbek economy exceeds $2.5 billion.
Japan invests in various projects, such as in railway transport, oil and gas, energy, mining, the automobile industry, telecommunications, electronics, and the textile industry.
Trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Japan amounted to $189.5 billion at the end of 2014.
Japanese financial and technical assistance to Uzbekistan, which helped implement a number of significant social and infrastructure projects in the fields of health, education, energy, transportation, telecommunications and other areas, amounted to over $3.4 billion in 2014.
The regional offices of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and Uzbekistan-Japan Center have operated in Uzbekistan since 1999.
Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Japan were established in January 26, 1992.
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