Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In order to implement the previously reached agreements and work out new areas of cooperation with the Italian region of Lombardy, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Italy Otabek Akbarov made a working trip to Milan, Dunyo reports.

Meetings were held with Lombardy Vice-Governor Fabrizio Sala and his staff, during which practical steps to implement joint activities this year were discussed and agreed in accordance with the agreements reached during the visit of the Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana to Uzbekistan in November last year.

In particular, F. Sala noted that the Lombard delegation, which was received by the leadership of the country, a number of ministries, departments and universities of the republic, and also visited Samarkand, highly appreciated the outcome of the visit and was ready for joint implementation of the whole range of issues discussed.

During the meetings in Milan, special attention was paid to the issues of enhancing and expanding trade and economic cooperation.

In particular, an agreement was reached to organize a visit of a delegation of companies and banks of Lombardy to Uzbekistan during the first half of 2020 in order to hold meetings at government agencies and business representatives to discuss specific projects.

Along with this, following the invitation of Governor A. Fontana, a delegation of the Samarkand region is planning a visit to Lombardy over the coming months of this year. It is envisaged that the delegation will include the heads of the regional khokimiyat, leading companies and enterprises, as well as universities. During the visit, the establishment of direct partnerships between the two regions will be discussed, directions and projects for economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation developed.

Another important event should be the Made in Uzbekistan exhibition, which will be deployed in one of the largest exhibition complexes in Europe - Fiera Milano, where the international exhibition EXPO - 2015 was previously organized. It is also planned to open the Trade House of Uzbekistan in Milan, which will host a permanent exhibition of products from Uzbek manufacturers.

The Ambassador of Uzbekistan also visited the International University of Languages and Media Communication in Milan, where meetings were held with his leadership and students. The university expressed its willingness to cooperate with the Uzbek side in the training of professional translators of the Italian language. In order to develop partnerships on a systematic basis, the Italian side showed interest in establishing direct ties with the Uzbek State University of World Languages, as well as organizations involved in re-branding and promoting the image of Uzbekistan abroad. It was noted that this University is at the forefront in the areas of its profile not only in Italy, but also on a European scale.

In addition, Ambassador Akbarov got acquainted with the structure and activities of the Cultural Complex “Fondazione Prada”, which is one of the most famous world platforms for demonstrating new ideas and trends in the fields of fashion, design, fine art, literature, philosophy, music and cinema. An agreement was reached on holding expert meetings to discuss the possibilities of implementing joint projects involving the unique historical heritage and current cultural trends of Uzbekistan.

The head of the diplomatic mission of Uzbekistan also visited the Italy-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and held meetings with representatives of a number of Italian companies, during which they discussed issues of revitalizing ongoing joint projects, as well as developing new projects.