Mr Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune (right) shakes hands with Ambassador Kenichi Kobayashi after signing a grant aid agreement in Vientiane on Friday.

Japan supports road, bridge upgrade

The Japanese government is providing grant aid to Laos for the purchase of equipment and vehicles worth 1,500 million Japanese yen (more than US$9.4 million), to repair roads and bridges in strategic areas.
The grant aid agreement was signed in Vientiane on Friday by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune and the Japanese Ambassador to Laos, Mr Kenichi Kobayashi, witnessed by representatives of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and other officials.
The grant will be used to improve Roads 13, 11 and R2 in the north of Laos and other roads that provide essential links to countries in the region.
Mr Phoxay said infrastructure development is critical for the social and economic progress of all countries. The Lao government attaches great importance to the upgrade of infrastructure, especially roads, as these are the country’s main transport links in the absence of sea ports.
This latest road improvement project will be a huge boost to international transport, trade and tourism, as well as spurring the social and economic development of Laos, enabling the Lao people to improve their quality of life step by step, he added.
Mr Phoxay thanked the Japanese government and people for their enduring support to many spheres of Laos’ development and expressed the hope that further assistance would be forthcoming in the future.
Ambassador Kobayashi said Japan intended to remain a partner of Laos for many years to come and would pursue closer ties under the two countries’ comprehensive strategy partnership with the aim of bolstering development in Laos.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update April 29, 2024)