The signing ceremony of the Grant Exchange Programme from the Government of Japan was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vientiane on Dec 20.

The Agreement was signed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Phoxay Khaikhamphitoun and Ambassador of Japan to the Lao PDR Kobayashi Kenichi in the presence of relevant officials of both sides.

This assistance is a non-project grant to provide facilities to the International Airport of Laos, worth 1 billion yen (US$8.77 million).

On this occasion, Deputy Minister Phoxay Khaikhamphitoun represented the Government and the Lao people expressed gratitude and appreciation for the constant support and assistance from the Government and people of Japan to the Lao PDR, which has contributed significantly to the socio-economic development of the Lao PDR.

“We would like to express our gratitude to the relevant parties of Japan for always actively researching and advocating for the assistance of the Government of Japan to the Lao PDR. This is an effective, efficient and in line with the actual needs of the Lao PDR,” said the deputy minister, pledging that the Government of Laos will use this assistance, to the maximum benefit, to contribute to the upgrading of service capacity, ensure readiness at the International Airport and facilitate the implementation of the Lao PDR Regional and Regional Integration Strategy to take even more solid steps.

Ambassador Kobayashi Kenichi expressed his pleasure on behalf of the Government of Japan in signing the Memorandum of Understanding, noting that this will make a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of the Lao PDR as well as contribute to the strengthening of the Lao-Japanese bilateral relations and cooperation.

Source: Lao News Agency