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Official Statements
Japan Extends 1 Billion Yen Non-Project Grant Aid to the Palestinian Authority
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tokyo- (PanOrient News) The Government of Japan has decided to extend Non-Project Grant Aid of 1 billion yen to the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority, the Foreign Ministry said in Tokyo today.
Notes to this effect were exchanged between Mr. Naofumi Hashimoto, Representative of Japan to the Palestinian Authority, and Dr. Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Palestinian Authority, on Thursday, June 30 (local time) in Ramallah in the West Bank of the Jordan River.
This grant aid aims at promotion of the economic and social development efforts by the Palestinian Authority, and the grant will be used for the purchase of necessary commodities in the Palestinian territories, according to the statement. Through this aid, it is expected that the serious financial conditions of the Palestinian Authority will be improved.
The Palestinian economy "remains in a serious condition," particularly due to a considerable decrease of employment opportunities for Palestinians as well as destructions of various social and economic infrastructures in the repeated collisions in the Palestinian territories since September 2000, the Japanese ministry said. In order to promote the Middle East peace process under these circumstances, "it is imperative to work for the stability and the improvement of the Palestinian society and its civil life by supporting the efforts of the Palestinian Authority for social and economic development."
The statement said Japan will be continuously making active efforts to promote political dialogues, confidence-building measures and the "Corridor for Peace and Prosperity" initiative in addition to providing assistance to the Palestinians toward the realization of co-existence and co-prosperity of Israelis and Palestinians through the two-state solution.
The Palestinian territories cover 6,020 square kilometers, and have a population of approximately 3.76 million people (2005). The Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is about 1,230 U.S. dollars (2006), according to Japanese sources.
PanOrient News
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