Japan pledges $2.5 billion non-military aid for Mideast

CAIRO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said today that his country will contribute $2.5 billion in non-military aid for the Middle East as he visits the volatile region.

" Japan will carry out assistance of $2.5 billion in non-military fields including humanitarian assistance and infrastructure development, intended for the entire region," Abe said.

During a press conference here, Abe also pledged $200 million in non-military assistance for countries affected by the Islamic State (IS) terror group's brutal onslaught in Iraq and Syria.

"I will pledge assistance of a total of about $200 million for those countries contending with ISIL (IS), to help build their human capacities, infrastructure, and so on," he said.

He also said Japan would "provide assistance for refugees and displaced persons from Iraq and Syria".

Egypt will also receive Japanese aid worth $366 million to help expand Alexandria's Borg el-Arab Airport and developing power networks in the country.

Abe is on a six-day regional tour that includes visits to Jordan and Israel.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that he looks forward to an economic partnership with Japan during the joint press meet with the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

"We look forward for an economic partnership that can positively reflect of the life of Egyptian citizens," Sisi said.

Sisi also invited large Japanese companies to take part in the economic conference that will be held in the Sharm el-Sheikh resort next March.