Zelensky, JICA President discuss prospects for further cooperation

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency Shinichi Kitaoka the prospects for further cooperation.

“The cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is extremely important for our country, especially in the context of ongoing conduct of large-scale reforms. The government has recently approved the action plan for the next five years. We truly believe that this program will be implemented in practice, not in theory,” Zelensky said, the press service of the Head of State reports.

He added that the implementation of the plan would create one million additional jobs in Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine thanked the Agency for supporting Ukraine within the framework of the Official Development Assistance Program.

"We appreciate Japan's technical assistance in supporting democratic institutions, ensuring macroeconomic stability and granting preferential loans to important infrastructure projects in Ukraine," Zelensky noted.

He stressed that one of the striking results of Ukraine-JICA cooperation was the successful modernization of the Boryspil International Airport at the expense of a preferential loan. At the same time, Zelensky highlighted the importance of implementation of the second project, namely the modernization of the Bortnychi aeration station, which, he said, would help to prevent environmental pollution and improve the safety of people's lives.

"I hope that the agreement with the general contractor will be signed in the near future and construction works on the site will start from the beginning of next year," the Head of State said.

The President also announced Ukraine's interest in the continued fruitful cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The construction of a bridge across the Southern Buh River in Mykolayiv city for enhancing the southern transport corridor and the preparation of a project on municipal solid waste management were mentioned among the important and promising infrastructure projects.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky makes a working visit to Japan on October 21-24.

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