March 8,2024
Ms. Nakano Etsuko, President of OISCA International, met on March 8 in Tokyo with Mr. Bakhtiyor Saidov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, and both parties talked about promoting collaboration for the project of greening the desert area in the Aral Sea.
Ms. Nakano expressed her deep appreciation for the warm compassion of the people of Uzbekistan for the Japanese who were interned in Uzbekistan during the Soviet era. At the same time, she expressed her determination to contribute to the friendship between the people of the two countries through the greening project of the desert in the Aral Sea.
On the following day, March 9, the Director General of the International Department of the Ministry of Environment of Uzbekistan and the Director General for International Affairs of the Forestry Agency visited the site of the “Coastal Forest Restoration Project” underway along the coast of Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture, and inspected a nursery and tree-planting areas under the guidance of Mr. Kouichi Sasaki, Field Manager of the project. They showed keen interest in OISCA’s efforts to promote afforestation and reforestation under agreements with the national, prefectural, and municipal governments, and asked many questions about the methodology and process of the project.
Mr. Eiji Suzuki, chairman of the “Natori City Coastal Forest Restoration Association,” which is in charge of seedling cultivation for the project, also commented on his own experience of participating in the Aral Sea desert greening tour, “Here in Natori, OISCA came as a coordinator after the Great East Japan Earthquake, but the most important thing is that the local government and residents work together. The most important thing is to work together. I hope that the same action will be taken in the Aral Sea desert greening project”.
It was a valuable opportunity for both sides to recognize the importance of cooperation and coordination with various stakeholders, including governments and international organizations, for the greening of the Aral Sea, and to exchange views on future collaboration.
(Photo Caption)
Mr. Kouichi Sasaki, OISCA Field Manager of Natori, explained on seedlings cultivation in pots to the visiting Uzbekistan group