A memorandum of understanding was signed between the eco-patrol service of the Ministry of Environment and the Armenian branch of the World Wildlife Fund. The service was supplemented by three all-terrain vehicles.
Hakob Simidyan, Minister of Environment participated in the formal signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Eco-patrol Service of the Ministry and the Armenian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Armenia) and the handover of three all-terrain vehicles to the Eco-patrol Service by WWF-Armenia.
Gor Asryan, Deputy Governor of Lori Province, Vladimir Kirakosyan, Head of the Eco-Patrol Service, Vardan Sargsyan, First Deputy Head of the Service, Ursula Laublin, Deputy Ambassador of Switzerland to Armenia and Deputy Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, leaders and representatives of community and environmental structures also participated in the forum.
One of the directions of the initial cooperation - the promotion of the capabilities of the Eco-patrol Service with equipment, has been brought to life today. WWF-Armenia handed over three all-terrain vehicles to the eco-patrol service, which were purchased with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and equipped with appropriate equipment.
After welcoming the attendees at Dsegh Settlement of Lori Province, the minister thanked Ursula Laubli, Deputy Ambassador of Switzerland to Armenia and Deputy Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, for being the first to respond to the issue of equipping the eco-patrol service with technical capabilities in our country.
"Establishing the Eco-patrol service is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Environment, and the support of international partners is, of course, valuable on that path. The organization of a technically stable service will directly increase the level of conservation of forests, which are considered national wealth," the minister noted and expressed hope for continuous cooperation with international partners.
The minister presented the necessity of establishing the Eco-patrol service, the continuous steps of the ministry towards the establishment of the service.
Vladimir Kirakosyan, Head of the Eco-patrol service, also considered the establishment of the eco-patrol service as an environmental conservation agenda.
"The fact that Armenia has the smallest forested area in the region once again emphasizes the necessity of forest conservation. The service has a commitment to fast and high-quality protection, which is the precedent for implementing this event," said the head of the service and expressed confidence that the all-terrain vehicles donated to the service will emphasize the high quality of forest conservation.
Within the scope of the memorandum, support will be provided to the service in the conservation of biodiversity and animal habitats in the specially protected areas of nature in Lori, Tavush, Vayots Dzor, Syunik, Gegharkunik, Shirak and other provinces.