The financial assistance provided by Japan since the establishment of bilateral relations with the Republic of Moldova came to US$ 150 million. Japan is the third donor of assistance for the Republic of Moldova, after the United States and the European Union, IPN reports.

The bilateral cooperation relations of and the opportunities to intensify cooperation in agriculture, regional development and environment were discussed in a meeting of Minister of Agriculture Nicolae Ciubuc and the Ambassador of Japan in Chisinau Masanobu Yoshii.

“We are grateful for all the support provided to us in time. We appreciate the readiness to cooperate and hope the number of joint projects in agriculture, the export of products, including wine, will further increase,” stated Nicolae Ciubuc.

For his part, Masanobu Yoshii confirmed that the project of grant assistance for unprivileged farmers 2KR is a success story that deserves to be continued. He welcomed the Government’s initiatives aimed at supporting the farmers, referring to the payment of subsidies, in advance as well. The ambassador reaffirmed the readiness to extend the cooperation relations through joint projects in agriculture, regional development and environment.

In the discussions, the interlocutors reiterated that 7,686 new units of agricultural machinery intended for about 3,500 beneficiaries were purchased in the framework of the 2KR project. This machinery is used to cultivate almost 40% of the arable land in Moldova.