Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia advance tourism partnership at ADB meeting

On the sidelines of the 59th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank, Uzbekistan’s Chairman of the Tourism Committee, Abdulaziz Akkulov, held talks with a Saudi delegation led by Mohammad Abunayyan, founder and chairman of ACWA Power and head of Vision Invest.

The meeting was built on ongoing high-level engagement between the two countries, as per Uzbek media.

Earlier, the Saudi delegation had been received by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Discussions focused on expanding strategic cooperation in the tourism sector. The sides placed particular emphasis on developing modern tourism clusters that integrate energy solutions, transport and logistics infrastructure, along with the application of advanced urban planning approaches.

Following the talks, the parties agreed to establish a joint working group, develop a practical action plan, and identify priority investment projects.

Abunayyan expressed a strong interest in deepening cooperation and invited the Uzbek side to participate in an investment forum scheduled to take place in Riyadh in October 2026.

Participants also noted that Uzbekistan’s ongoing reforms, high level of security, and openness to international partners create favourable conditions for the implementation of joint initiatives.

By Tamilla Hasanova