Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 24 September 2020, Ambassador of Uzbekistan Ravshan Usmanov met with the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia Nancy Haji Shukri.

At the beginning of the meeting, Nancy Haji Shukri praised the initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, put forward during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2020, emphasizing the importance and relevance of Uzbekistan’s proposal to hold the International Forum “Central Asia at the Crossroads world civilizations "in Khiva in 2021.

Nancy Haji Shukri stressed that the development and deepening of bilateral cooperation between Uzbekistan and Malaysia in the field of tourism is of mutual interest for both parties. In this regard, it was proposed to improve the contractual framework in the field of tourism.

The Minister also stated that the Malaysian side is ready to work closely with the relevant ministries and departments of Uzbekistan in priority areas in order to promote and improve the cultural and tourist image of the republic among the population of Malaysia.

In addition, the leadership of the tourism department noted that Uzbekistan has an advantage over other countries as an attractive destination for tourists from Malaysia, which lies in the rich and centuries-old history and culture of the Uzbek people. Taking this into account, as well as the country’s positive experience in combating the pandemic, the minister expressed her readiness to consider the possibility of including Uzbekistan in the so-called list of "green countries" as the situation around the coronavirus stabilizes.

Following negotiations with the leadership of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, the following agreements were reached:

- organization of videoconference between the leadership of the State Committee for Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism of Malaysia in order to exchange experience in maintaining and developing the tourism industry during the pandemic and its completion, as well as the development of domestic tourism;

- organization of online courses and seminars to improve the skills of Uzbek specialists in the field of tourism by attracting experts from the Council of Malaysian Tourist Guides and the Center for Islamic Tourism;

- establishment of cooperation between the Palace of Culture of Malaysia "Istana Budaya" and the Bolshoi Theater named after Alisher Navoi in order to organize joint cultural, theatrical and musical events as the situation around the pandemic stabilizes;

- further strengthening of interuniversity cooperation through the implementation of joint educational projects to open branches and faculties of Malaysian universities in Uzbekistan in the field of training specialists for the tourism industry;

- creation of a "corner" of applied arts and handicrafts of Uzbekistan on the basis of the Kuala Lumpur handicraft complex, as well as the provision of free trading platforms for the regular participation of Uzbek artisans in major exhibition and fair events in Malaysia as the situation around the pandemic stabilizes.