Uzbekistan postponed abolishment of visas for tourists from 27 countries, initially planned for 1 April 2017, until 1 January 2021. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a corresponding decree on 22 December.

The document says the decision had been made in order to create the required conditions and guarantee safety of lives and health of foreign tourists and the country’s citizens.

Previous decree, dated 2 December, announced abolishment of visas for tourists arriving in the country for less than 30 days from 15 states: Australia Austria, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland and Japan.

Additionally, visas should have been abolished for citizens aged 55 and up coming from 12 states: Belgium, Indonesia, China (within tourist groups),Malaysia, USA, France, Vietnam, Israel, Poland, Hungary, Portugal and the Czech Republic.

The decree notes that the proposal to postpone abolishment of visas had been prepared by the State Tourism Development Committee (former Uzbektourism national company), Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry, State Customs Committee and other structures.