In line with the agreement between the Uzbekistan Muslim Board and Ministry for Hajj of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in May 2008, 5,000 people will perform hajj this year.

Mr. Yusupov said that Uzbekistan will provide additional services to Uzbek pilgrims. For instance, Uzbekistan Havo Yollari (Uzbekistan Airways) will carry out direct flight from Tashkent and Namangan to Mecca and a group of medical specialists and cooks will visit Saudi Arabia with pilgrims.