Issues of bilateral cooperation in the consular and legal sphere, the existing migration rules of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in particular long-term plans for the development of bilateral tourist exchange, were discussed with the head of the Immigration Affairs Department of the agency, Wong Wei-ki Haryer, the news agency "Dunyo" reports.

During the talks, issues of visa policy of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, protection of the rights and interests of citizens of the parties, and expansion of the regulatory framework related to this area between Uzbekistan and Hong Kong were also raised.

It was noted that since March 1, 2021, Uzbekistan has a visa-free regime for up to 10 days for Chinese citizens, including citizens of Hong Kong and Macau, which are special administrative regions of China. Also, on December 1 of this year, it was announced that an agreement "On mutual visa-free regime between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan" was signed in Chengdu. The domestic legal procedures necessary for the entry into force of this document are currently under way.

It was emphasized that the Uzbek side aims to reach an agreement with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on mutual exemption from visa requirements for its citizens.

The Hong Kong side highly appreciated the political and economic changes in Uzbekistan, in particular the development of tourism, favorable conditions for entrepreneurship and foreign investors, especially the effective results achieved in recent years in terms of liberalizing visa policies with countries around the world.

It was also noted that Hong Kong is equally interested in strengthening bilateral cooperation with Uzbekistan in all spheres, improving practical results, in particular, expanding the exchange of citizens and the consistent development of the tourism sector.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached on further joint work on these issue.