Japan to provide over $4 mln for rebuilding of Donbas

The Japanese government will provide more than $4 million to meet humanitarian needs and rebuild Ukraine's eastern regions.

Japan's Ambassador to Ukraine Takashi Kurai said this at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday, July 1, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Japan assures you of its readiness to continue to support Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity - as it did at the time of its independence - by assisting in the implementation of reforms for democratization and economic development," the ambassador said.

He said a major priority for Japan was "the safety and well-being of residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions."

"So five additional projects funded by our government for $4.23 million will be implemented this year by four UN agencies - the UN Development Program, the UN Office for Project Services, the International Organization for Migration and UNHCR, as well as with the participation of the ICRC. The total amount of such assistance now reaches 51.4 million U.S. dollars, including current projects," Kurai said.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov thanked the ambassador, as well as non-governmental international organizations, for assistance and systematic aid to Ukraine.

"What the Japanese government is doing today financially is being done for the people. What the UN and ICRC team members are doing today is being done for the people. They are real ambassadors who carry the warmth and love required by people who suffer from this hybrid war," Reznikov added.

He also stressed that the allocated funds would be used to meet humanitarian needs, support vulnerable groups, restore the eastern regions of Ukraine and provide emergency assistance to the health care system of Ukraine for servicemen.

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