Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A regular meeting of senior officials of the “Central Asia + Japan” Dialogue was held in Astana (Kazakhstan).

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, the event was attended by the heads of the foreign ministries of Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as the Ambassador of Tajikistan to Kazakhstan.

The parties discussed the progress of preparations for the upcoming “Central Asia + Japan” Dialogue summit, which will be held in Astana this summer. The agenda and draft final documents of the summit were reviewed at the meeting. The state and prospects for further strengthening regional cooperation in the trade, economic, transport and humanitarian spheres were also discussed.

It was noted that cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and Japan has reached a new level in recent years. Today, priority sectors have been identified for new cooperation initiatives within the framework of environmental sustainability, increasing the connectivity of countries and developing human resources.

At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to maintain working contacts on all topical issues. The dialogue “Central Asia + Japan” was created in 2004 at the initiative of Japan. From 2005 to 2022, 15 meetings of Senior Officials at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers were held. In 2024, Kazakhstan is the chairman of the “Central Asia + Japan” Dialogue.