The ninth meeting of foreign ministers of the dialogue "Central Asia + Japan" was held in Tokyo on December 24, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan reported.
The heads of the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Japan discussed the prospects for strengthening cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and Japan in bilateral and multilateral formats in the areas of developing transport connectivity, logistics, industrial cooperation, healthcare, education, and the "green" economy.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov noted in his speech that Japan is a reliable partner in ensuring the sustainable development of Central Asia and makes a significant contribution to the industrial and infrastructural modernization of the economies of the countries of the region.
In recent years, a new political atmosphere has been formed in Central Asia, many issues have been resolved, economic cooperation has been expanded, and conditions for free human contacts have been provided. The trade turnover between Uzbekistan and the Central Asian countries alone increased by 2.5 times to $6.4 billion from 2016 to 2021, Norov stressed.
At the meeting, initiatives were announced to improve the efficiency of interaction between the countries of Central Asia and Japan, the introduction of Japanese know-how and investments, the implementation of industrial cooperation projects, the attraction of grant funds from Japan in the digitalization of the transport system, sustainable energy supply, the promotion of a "green" agenda, the creation of medical institutions and enterprises.
The presence of opportunities for intensifying cooperation in the areas of training for advanced training of personnel, migration, tourism, and culture was noted.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi noted at the meeting that the international community has suffered from Russia's aggression against Ukraine in various aspects, including food and energy supplies, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. According to him, the impact of this conflict is especially significant in Central Asia, which has close historical and economic ties with Russia.
In this context, Yoshimasa Hayashi stated that Japan would like to promote a new development model with a special focus on "investing in people" and "quality growth" to achieve sustainable development in Central Asia.
According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries expressed interest in strengthening cooperation, including in the field of training and qualification of technical specialists according to Japanese methods and in the field of decarbonization of the economy through a joint lending mechanism.
“In light of the difficult international situation, the participants also exchanged views on cooperation on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route - a transport route that does not pass through the territory of Russia, and agreed to hold a conference on this issue in the first quarter of next year for an in-depth discussion of this issue,” the report says.
The ministers also agreed on the need to intensify the fight against transnational organized crime, build capacity in the fight against drugs, terrorism and extremism, strengthen border control and cross-border cooperation.
In addition, the ministers exchanged views on the humanitarian situation, including the restoration of socio-economic infrastructure, as well as on the rights of ethnic
minorities, women and girls in Afghanistan. There is general concern over the recent Taliban decision to suspend girls' higher education and the continued ban on girls from attending secondary school.
The next ministerial meeting of the "Central Asia + Japan" format will be held in Kazakhstan.
The dialogue that took place at the planning stage provoked a reaction from Russia. “We could not but pay attention to the goals that official Tokyo itself declares in relation to this event. Judging by the rhetoric of Japanese leaders at the stage of its preparation, they are not so much interested in mutually beneficial cooperation as, as stated, “rallying the world community, including the Central Asian countries, against Russia,” said Maria Zakharovа, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in her Telegram channel on December 23 .
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 26, 2022