Officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Japan has pledged US$ 5 billion for the reconstruction of Afghanistan
Japanese authorities and Afghan government officials met in the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss over the money expenditure.
Japan’s $5 billion which will be confirmed in Kabul conference held on July, 20, will be spent on agriculture, railway network and the expansion of Kabul city.
"The reason for today’s meeting was to consider the Afghan government’s priorities by talking with the Afghan side," said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aklil Hakimi.
The Afghan Ministry of Finance said Japan’s donation will be used on projects that are the priorities of the Afghan government in the next five years.
"A large portion of Japan’s donations will be used by the government of Afghanistan, which will be used for the training of police and extending Afghanistan’s budget," said Deputy Ministry of Finance, Muhammad Mustafa Mastoor.
"We are in a sensitive time, and we are moving forward towards a change. We have a good understanding of the Afghan government, and this issue will be discussed at Kabul conference. We also want to hold a conference in Tokyo on this issue," said Shiro Sidoshima, head of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Japan is the second largest contributor to the reconstruction of Afghanistan, with a total of $2 billion of donation for the country since 2001, most of which has been spend in police training, demining programs, elections and the construction of Afghanistan.
