OREANDA-NEWS. April 12, 2012. The government of the Russian Federation presented 41 KAMAZ vehicles to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan to deliver food to remote areas of the country.

According to the United Nations News Center, the total cost of 40 new KAMAZ trucks and one support vehicle is 2.7 million U.S. dollars. The carrying capacity of each KAMAZ vehicle is 14 tons.

 "We are grateful to the Russian Government for this generous gift," said the UN WFP Afghanistan Country Director Louis Imbleau. He added that technical support was a key element in the timely delivery of food to starving people in Afghanistan. The new trucks, which are much more economical and easier to maintain, will replace old vehicles in the WFP fleet.

"The Russian Federation loyally supports the people of Afghanistan”, said Andrey Avetisyan, Russia’s Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. “We believe that these trucks will help the UN WFP to carry out its humanitarian activities in the country."

Thanks to Russia’s generous gift, the WFP fleet in Afghanistan will increase to 174 trucks. Many of these trucks have run thousands of kilometers across the country, and they are being operated for over 20 years.