Japan pledges US$40 million aid for Palestinians
JERICHO, West Bank: Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said that Japan will provide some US$40 million in fresh aid to Palestinians, Japan’s Jiji Press reported.
The financial support will be utilised for promoting Japan’s Corridor for Peace and Prosperity initiative aimed at developing the Palestinian economy.
He announced the aid when he visited a farm product-processing complex in the West Bank city of Jericho that plays a core part in the Japanese initiative.
At a ceremony for a new area in the industrial park, Kono emphasised that Japan should spare no effort to achieve peace in the Middle East even though there are many hurdles to overcome.
Specifically, Kono said that Japan will provide support for developing human resources in the information and communications technology field, starting new businesses and smoothing product distribution systems in the industrial park.
On Monday, Kono became the first minister among major countries to hold talks with the top Israeli and Palestinian leaders since US President Donald Trump announced early this month that the United States recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
In the separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Kono reiterated that Japan supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, urging them to solve it through direct negotiations. — Bernama