ТASHKENT, December 19. /Dunyo IA/. Today, the business program of the official visit to Tokyo continued with negotiations between the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Akihiko Tanaka, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the press service of the Head of our State, the practical aspects of further expanding full-scale cooperation and promoting joint projects with this leading Japanese financial institution were reviewed.

The highest level of strategic partnership achieved in recent years was noted with satisfaction. The pace of fund utilization for projects has significantly increased.

The project portfolio has exceeded $8 billion. Initiatives worth over $3 billion are under development in areas such as healthcare, energy, transport, education, industry, and other priority sectors.

During the visit, new agreements were signed on the development of economic zones, agriculture, supply of medical equipment, and support for entrepreneurship.

The long-standing support from the Japanese side for the activities of the Uzbekistan-Japan Center for Human Resources Development and the Youth Innovation Center was highly praised.

Particular attention was paid to expanding the Agency's participation in developing the energy sector, supporting youth and women's entrepreneurship, ensuring employment and poverty reduction, training advanced engineering personnel, and scaling up the "One Village, One Product" project.

Mutual readiness was expressed for the prompt launch of the project to create a special economic zone for Japanese investors.

In conclusion, Head of our State noted the importance of timely preparation and ensuring the sustainability of project outcomes within the framework of the New cooperation program with JICA until 2030.