“We are grateful to Japan for its strong support in the field of demining”, – Bohdan Drapiatyi during a meeting with the JICA representatives
Today, on July 01, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine hosted a meeting between Bohdan Drapiatyi, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, and a delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). One of the main topics of the talks covered the issue of mining in Ukraine in the wake of the russian full-scale invasion.
It should be noted that this meeting was a follow-up to the dialogue between Ukraine and Japan that took place after the visit of the delegation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to Cambodia and Japan.
As Bohdan Drapiatyi, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, told the JICA leadership during the meeting, Ukraine has managed to clear some of the previously contaminated areas owing to the efforts of the Ukrainian EOD experts and the support of international partners.
As a result of the russian full-scale invasion, more than 144,000 square kilometers of Ukraine are considered potentially mine-contaminated. This figure amounted to 174,000 square kilometers more than a year ago.
“It is a pleasure of mine to welcome you at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. I would like to emphasise that since our last meeting, cooperation with Japan has only intensified. An example of this is the recently signed security agreement on support and cooperation between Ukraine and the Government of Japan. This agreement outlines one of the most important areas that represents a priority for our Ministry – humanitarian demining. So, with the assistance of our partners, we have already cleared some of the mined areas. We keep going, increasing our capabilities in this area”, – said the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
In addition, Bohdan Drapiatyi expressed his gratitude to his Japanese colleagues for training Ukrainian operators, in particular on the usage of the Nikken demining machines.
“We understand the pain of the events that are happening to your country, but we are very proud of your resilience and we are doing our utmost to support you. We are also deeply impressed by the priorities you have set for demining. Our experts will work even harder to organise new trainings for the Ukrainian experts as soon as possible. Our doors are always open for cooperation”, – said Kamiishi Hiroto, the Senior Assistant Director of the Department of Peace Management and Peacebuilding, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The parties have also discussed the implementation of a project to rebuild and modernise one of the training centres of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, implemented under the Emergency Recovery Programme.
“We would like to extend our gratitude for your comprehensive assistance across all of our priority areas. I would like to express my hope that your trip to Ukraine would be useful and informative for you. This presents yet another opportunity to strengthen our cooperation, and you, in turn, can see the conditions under which our EOD units operate”, – said Bohdan Drapiatyi, addressing the partners.
Communications Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
