BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 2. Uzbekistan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have discussed opportunities to attract grant funding and technical assistance for tourism development projects in the country at a meeting in Tashkent on Monday.
According to the Uzbekistan's Tourism Committee, these issues were discussed during a meeting between Committee representatives and Odilkhon Khasanov, a project manager at JICA’s office in Uzbekistan.
The talks focused on supporting promising tourism initiatives, securing grant funding and exploring opportunities to receive non-reimbursable financial assistance from JICA and other international partners.
In addition, the parties reviewed JICA’s activities in Uzbekistan, its cooperation with government ministries and agencies, and the current status and prospects of its grant programs and assistance mechanisms. Previous tourism-related initiatives implemented by the agency, project grants and other support programs were also discussed.
Particular attention was paid to developing tourism as an important sector of Uzbekistan’s economy, diversifying tourism destinations and products, creating new jobs and implementing projects capable of competing in international markets.
The sides emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation with international financial institutions and donor organizations to support the sector’s development.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to maintain regular dialogue and jointly identify and develop promising tourism projects that could receive JICA grants and non-reimbursable financial assistance.
