Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy and Japan’s international cooperation agency JICA plan to strengthen cooperation in the supply of equipment for rapid repairs and mobile solutions to strengthen the energy resilience of frontline regions. This was discussed during a meeting between Ukrainian Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk and JICA Chief Representative in Ukraine Osamu Hattori on Wednesday.
‘I am pleased to welcome Osamu Hattori, Chief Representative of the JICA Office in Ukraine, to the ministry. This is Mr. Osamu’s first visit since his appointment. Therefore, we updated the current areas of cooperation with JICA and identified priorities,’ Hrynchuk wrote on her Facebook page.
She informed her colleague about the agreements reached with Kenji Yamada, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, during her participation in the G7 Energy Ministers’ Summit in Toronto.
‘We discussed vectors for joint work with JICA in this context,’ she noted.
The possibilities for cooperation with Japanese energy companies and Ukraine’s use of Japanese technologies for the development of the energy sector were also discussed.
The minister thanked Japan in particular for supporting Ukraine’s energy sector with equipment, specialised machinery and gabions.
Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine intend to cooperate in the restoration of cultural infrastructure.
“We are working on bringing the storage facilities for cultural property in museums in line with technical requirements. We also need the creation of a specialized depository, in particular, the development of project documentation and financial support for technical re-equipment. In addition, another global project is the renovation of the National Restoration Center. This institute is working at the maximum of its capabilities, but in rented unsuitable premises. We have already found premises for re-location. Now it will be necessary to re-equip and improve the qualifications of employees”, – Acting Minister Rostislav Karandeev is quoted by the press service of the Ministry after a meeting with the team of the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation JICA.
Ot also noted the information challenges, said that Ukraine is actively strengthening work with the frontline territories, the most exposed to the influence of enemy propaganda, and emphasized the interest in cooperation in information support of these regions.
“Our team is engaged in the reconstruction of Ukraine. We are providing assistance that aims to provide emergency needs, but we are also interested in cooperation on cultural issues because we understand its potential,” Naomichi Murooka, deputy director general of the Local and Regional Development Group of the Infrastructure Management Department of JICA’s head office, said at the meeting.
On May 24, Ukraine received a JPY 13 billion or $100 million loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on concessional terms with maturity period of 30 years at 1% per annum with a grace period of 10 years, the Ministry of Finance has reported.
“The agreement is the first part of the agreed financial assistance between Ukraine and Japan,” the Finance Ministry said in a release on Tuesday.
The ministry said that the funds will be directed to the state budget to finance priority expenses, to support the most unprotected population of Ukraine, in particular, to ensure priority social and humanitarian expenses, and health care.
