The Government of Japan handed over 2 more Nikken mechanised demining machines to the units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine
Today, on July 09, Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, and Matsuda Kuninori, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine, attended a ceremony of handing over mechanised demining machines to the units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
The event was also attended by Kateryna Pavlichenko, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Bezkaravainyi, the Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Andrii Danyk, the Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Makoto Amemiya, the President of the Nikken Corporation, and Hideki Matsunaga, the Chief Representative of JICA Ukraine.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Matsuda Kuninori, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine, expressed his condolences over the russian missile attack on civilian targets in Ukraine, including the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital:
"I strongly condemn yesterday's brutal shelling of Ukrainian cities. In particular, the shocking strikes of the russian military on the largest children's hospital in Ukraine. This is clearly a war crime. And this incident is yet another reason for the international community to take action to stop Russia's act of aggression and force it to leave Ukraine immediately. At the same time, I would like to express my respect and gratitude to the rescuers of the State Emergency Service, police and volunteers. I also express my admiration for the EOD experts who tirelessly clear the Ukrainian land of explosive ordnance."
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan noted that a cleared, safe territory is a prerequisite for people to return to their homes and Japan will spare no effort in this direction to render Ukraine safe for life in the shortest possible time.
In his turn, Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, expressed his gratitude to the Japanese colleagues for their support and comprehensive assistance, noting that the transferred mechanised demining machines mean hundreds of lives saved in the future:
"The Ambassador of Japan is one of the greatest friends of our country, knowing what to do and how to do it. And we would like to thank the Government and the Embassy of Japan, as well as the JICA, for their help and joint resilience in such difficult times for the country. We are currently using 42 mechanised demining machines, and by the end of the year, a third of our fleet will be manufactured in Japan. We are not only receiving these vehicles, but also tractors for these vehicles. In addition, our EOD experts are being trained in Japan and we are setting up a repair base to quickly put the equipment back into service."
Ihor Klymenko noted that the vehicles will be sent to the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions to perform the required tasks.
"The support shown by the Government and people of Japan is extremely important for us. Together with the team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, we witnessed first-hand the efficiency of these mechanised demining machines during our visit to Cambodia. This type of machine is essential as there is a lot of work to be done in Ukraine and it is more than ever needed here," said Ihor Bezkaravainyi, the Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine.
On this occasion, Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, has also expressed his gratitude to the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who promptly arrived at the sites of the enemy attacks and provided all the necessary assistance to the population:
"I would like to extend my appreciation to every employee of the State Emergency Service, volunteer, medic, policeman, national guardsman who yesterday rushed to mitigate the consequences of the aggressor's cruel and barbaric attacks. The enemy is attacking us, yet we are getting stronger."
Moreover, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine showcased the State Emergency Service equipment destroyed by enemy attacks in different parts of our country to our partners. These vehicles include EOD machines, fire tankers, rescue vehicles, ambulances and other vehicles.
The Japanese delegation was also given a chance to see what bulletproof vests and helmets look like after shelling.
To recap, on June 14, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine received 69 vehicles from partners from the UK, USA, Japan and Estonia.
Also recently, Bohdan Drapiatyi, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, held a meeting with a delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). One of the main topics of the dialogue was the issue of mine pollution in Ukraine.
The Communications Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
