Japanese Govt provides Ukrainian Govt with USD4,2 million for restoration of Donbas

The signing ceremony of the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of Japan to provide the Government of Ukraine with non-project grant aid for the purchase of special equipment for the recovery of the eastern regions of Ukraine, Agreed Protocol on procedural details and Protocol on discussions over combating corruption, as well as the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of Japan to provide the Government Ukraine with non-project grant aid for the purchase of special equipment for medical institutions, research institutions and Agreed Protocol to it took place on Monday in Kyiv.

Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities of Ukraine Hennadii Zubko on behalf of the Government of Ukraine thanked the Government of Japan for assistance under the Official Development Assistance program being provided Ukraine for 15 years "as confirmation of Japan's friendly attitude towards our country and the Ukrainian people."

"I want to thank the Government of Japan for providing a 500-million-yen (USD 4,2 mln) grant assistance to the regions affected by the events in Eastern Ukraine for the purchase of goods made in Japan for the needs of the regions and citizens, and health grant for the procurement of goods for hospitals," Hennadii Zubko emphasized.

The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine stressed that it is "irreversible humanitarian aid, which would be directed on the basis of such Japanese goods as medical equipment, tools and instruments that would help our housing and communal services to improve their material and technical basis in order to recover life support of the systems not only in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but also in Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporizhia."

"We appreciate the steadfast position, the attention that the Government of Japan pays to Ukraine in such difficult time, time of challenges," Hennadii Zubko noted.

The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine said that as of today Ukraine and Japan are actively cooperating in infrastructure projects, including the collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA in Project for the Modernization of Bortnychi Aeration Station in Kyiv.

"We are ready and willing to cooperate with the Government of Japan in such areas as energy, nuclear power, attracting not only material assistance, but also professional expert assistance", he said.

Ambassador of Japan Shigeki Sumi reported that the total amount being provided by Japan for Ukraine under the Agreement was up to USD8.4 million.