Uzbekistan to cooperate with JICA on the preservation and digitization of cultural heritage

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan Aziz Abdukhakimov met in Tokyo with President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Akihiro Tanaka. Issues of further expansion of bilateral cooperation in the field of tourism and cultural heritage were discussed at the meeting.

Aziz Abdukhakimov, thanking the leadership of JICA for the systematic support of ongoing projects in a number of areas, first of all emphasized the importance of the historic visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Japan in December 2019, noting that it determined the main directions of bilateral cooperation in Uzbek-Japanese relations.

At the meeting, information was provided on changes in the field of tourism in Samarkand, which is the tourist gate of Uzbekistan.

Akihiro Tanaka, in turn, expressed interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of tourism, cultural heritage and education against the backdrop of large-scale reforms carried out in Uzbekistan in recent years.

The parties discussed such issues as the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Great Silk Road and the creation of its digital archive, the digitization of exhibits in museums and the improvement of the skills of employees working there, the restoration and conservation of historical sites, the implementation of infrastructure projects in remote mountainous and desert regions, and the involvement of Japanese specialists for work in Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, special attention was paid to increasing the tourist flow from Japan to Uzbekistan through the implementation of the charter program.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed:

- jointly work out the issues of restoration and conservation of historical monuments in Uzbekistan with the support of UNESCO, improvement of tourism infrastructure in remote areas and implementation of projects to create a memorial complex in Surkhandarya region in memory of the late Kato Kyudzu, who devoted most of his life to the study of archaeological and cultural heritage;

- continue to create projects to digitize cultural heritage sites in Uzbekistan and bring bilateral cultural ties to a new level through joint events.

At the end of the meeting, the head of JICA noted that the choice of Uzbekistan to host the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization in 2023 indicates the recognition of the effectiveness of the country’s reforms in the field of tourism, and wished success in its implementation.