Tokyo — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said that Tokyo would donate $14.3 million (JPY1.9 billion) in help to Syria, at a news conference on Tuesday.
“Given the devastation and ongoing humanitarian crisis brought on by the recent earthquake in Syria in February, we will extend aid to Syria in the amount of $14.3 million to support those who continue to suffer from its effects in the areas of state initiatives, food, water, sanitation, health, and medical care”, he said.
In response to a query from Arab News Japan regarding Syria’s potential membership in the Arab League, Hayashi stated that he was aware that the organisation had lifted its 2011 suspension; however, Tokyo had no immediate plans to reopen its embassy in Damascus, despite closely monitoring the situation.
Hayashi noted that Japan would also provide $5.5 million in help to Sudan and its neighbouring nations, in addition to providing roughly $3.5 million in financial support through international organisations for food and other requirements for the displaced people fleeing the fighting that began in April of this year.
The foreign minister also mentioned that the humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of, is becoming more and more of a concern.
The foreign minister also mentioned that the humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where armed group activity has escalated since February of last year, is causing growing worry.
