Mirziyoyev called Kishida

Today, August 9, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev had a phone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. This was reported by the President's press service.

Mirziyoyev expressed concern about the recent strong earthquake in southeastern Japan and the anticipated tsunami.

It was noted that Uzbekistan fully understands Japan's decision to postpone the first "Central Asia + Japan" summit and the official visit of Prime Minister Kishida to Uzbekistan, which was scheduled for August 10-11 this year.

Both leaders agreed to continue preparatory activities and to arrange new dates for the visit through diplomatic channels.

In addition, Kazakhstan’s President Kasim-Jomart Tokayev also had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Kishida. Kishida informed Tokayev that he needed to change his official visit to Kazakhstan, including his participation in the first "Central Asia + Japan" summit.

It is important to remember that earlier reports indicated Prime Minister Kishida was expected to visit Uzbekistan. He was scheduled to visit Kazakhstan and Mongolia in addition to Uzbekistan from August 9-12. However, Kishida decided to cancel his tour of Central Asian countries due to the danger posed by the strong earthquake in Japan. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused Kishida of attempting to undermine economic relations between Central Asian countries and Russia.