Today I met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland to Armenia Kirsti Narinen and the Honorary Consul of Finland in the Republic of Armenia Timothy Straight, Minister of Environment Romanos Petrosyan stated on his Facebook page.
“Expressing gratitude for the initiative of the meeting of my colleagues, I once again highlighted the Twinning program ‘Strengthened protection and sustainable use of biodiversity in Armenia in line with European standards’ implemented by the consortium of the Czech Republic and the Republic of Finland, coordinated by the Ministry of Environment. It was launched on March 4 this year. The project budget is 1,000,000 euros; the duration of the program is 24 months.
The Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry and professional subdivisions have the task to be maximally involved in the processes and to provide assistance to the parties.
I have noted with regret that a leading country in terms of ecosystem development, such as Finland, has no other ongoing program with the Ministry of Environment, in the direction of which efforts should be made, and concrete work should be done.
I have stated that the Government of the Republic of Armenia, in particular the Ministry of Environment, is ready to discuss the widest range of cooperation in the field of green technologies and development of green economy, as well as the use of renewable energy sources.
We will be happy to cooperate in the field of effective management of specially protected areas, forest and water resources.
I referred to the existing environmental problems at this stage, the legislative changes initiated by the Ministry of Environment, the reforms that we have managed to implement due to the will to regulate the sphere.
We discussed with the Ambassador our policy aimed at improving the quality of environmental education among the public and raising the level of awareness on environmental issues.
“At the end of the meeting, I expressed hope that such meetings and bilateral efforts will provide an opportunity to further strengthen relations and deepen cooperation in the field of environmental management,” the Minister’s statement reads.
