– Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has postponed by nearly four years a plan to introduce visa-free travel in Uzbekistan for citizens from 27 other countries.
Ferghana.news reports the December 29 decree delays the plan, initially approved by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on December 6, that would have introduced visa-free travel on April 1, 2017.
Instead, the plan is now set to come into force on January 2021.
Recall, Uzbekistan last month decided to cancel or ease visa requirements for 27 countries. Tajikistan is not mentioned among these countries.
Uzbekistan’s news website Uzreport reported that by a decree, signed by Uzbekistan's President-elect Shavkat Mirziyoyev on December 2, citizens of Australia, Austria, Britain, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, and Japan can enter the country without a visa for tourism purposes for up to 30 days.
The decree also states that citizens aged 55 or over from the United States, Belgium, France, Poland, Hungary, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Israel can enter Uzbekistan without a visa for up to 30 days for tourism purposes.
Despite removing the need to obtain a formal visa, citizens from all 27 countries would still have to pay a $50 fee to enter Uzbekistan.
The stated aim of the measure is “to create favorable economic and institutional conditions for intensive development of tourism as a strategic sector of the economy.”
