Hakob Simidyan, Minister of Environment received Kirsti Narinen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland and Timothy David Straight, Honorary Consul of Finland in Armenia.
At the beginning of the meeting, the minister presented to the ambassador the consequences of the emergency situation caused by the floods caused by the heavy rains that fell on May 25-26.
The early warning system, the development and strengthening of the monitoring capacity of hydrometeorological services in that context were referenced.
The parties exchanged views on the possibilities of implementation of joint projects and exchange of experience on the modernization of the monitoring system.
The issue of afforestation and reforestation was discussed. The activities of "Hayantar" SNCO, the problems identified in the forestry sector in Armenia, the works being carried for improving the current situation and rehabilitating forested areas were presented to the ambassador.
Let us remind that the Twinning project "Strengthened conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Armenia in line with European standards" was implemented under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment and the consortium of the Czech Republic and the Republic of Finland.
The aim of the project was to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Environment in the field of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in order to fulfill the obligations under the European Union-Armenian Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and its roadmap. Water diplomacy was referenced, issues related to information exchange and unification of future efforts in the field were discussed.
At the end of the meeting, it was decided to make such discussions regular, with the aim of ensuring a more effective implementation of the projects with joint efforts.