INTERVIEW: Japanese Finance Official Touts G-7 Deal on Ukraine Aid

   Tokyo, June 20 (Jiji Press)--A recent Group of Seven agreement to use frozen Russian assets in providing 50 billion dollars in loans to Ukraine was a "great achievement," Masato Kanda, Japanese vice finance minister for international affairs, said in an interview with Jiji Press on Wednesday.
   After launching discussions last year when Japan was the G-7's chair, "it took us about a year and a half, but we've finally reached a deal," Kanda said, referring to the agreement reached at a summit of the G-7 wealthy democracies in Italy last week.
   Japan will be actively involved in follow-up discussions to ensure that the loans are repaid using proceeds from frozen Russian assets as the G-7 leaders agreed, he said.
   The country "will participate in the loans if conditions are right," he said, but added, "We cannot allow Japanese loans to be used for military purposes."
   Kanda said Japan is stepping up bilateral finance talks with nations outside of the G-7 because of their rapid economic growth. The growing presence of Global South "cannot be overlooked," he said.

(2024/06/20-21:16)

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