Minister of Environment Hakob Simidyan and Deputy Minister Tigran Gabrielyan participated in the preparatory session of Armenian-Iranian high-level and monitoring activities.
The meeting was attended by Iraj Heshmati, deputy director for human environment issues of the Environmental Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Sobhani, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Armenia, Levon Azizyan, director of the "Armhydromet" SNCO, heads of the ministry's professional units, high-ranking representatives of both countries. from interested structures.
Before moving on to the issues on the agenda of the session, the minister discussed with his colleagues the international conference aimed at combating sand and dust storms in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Tehran) in September of this year and the process of the issues discussed during it.
In his welcome speech, Minister Hakob Simidyan expressed his gratitude to the Environmental Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran for continuous and effective cooperation and referred to Armenian-Iranian friendly relations.
"The Government of the Republic of Armenia attaches great importance to the stable development of special relations based on mutual respect and trust with the friendly Islamic Republic of Iran, which is not only a neighboring state, but also an important strategic partner in terms of trade and environmental protection. I am glad that today we have the opportunity to discuss the current state of the cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed at environmental protection, as well as the issues of mutual interest, in the current format," the minister noted.
Emphasizing the effective joint and continuous work and the recorded successes regarding the protection of the Araks border river, the minister, on behalf of the Ministry of Environment, expressed readiness to continue cooperation in all environmental directions and referred to the resumption of the work of the joint monitoring group of the two countries.
In turn, Iraj Heshmati, deputy director of human environment issues of the Environmental Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, thanked for initiating the session. Mr. Iraj Heshmati also expressed his gratitude to the Armenian partners for their constant attention to the water quality of the Araks River and their efforts to protect it.
Deputy Minister Tigran Gabrielyan emphasized the importance of the meeting, because after a long pause, the start of the work of the joint monitoring group of the two countries is announced.
During the session, the plan for the joint monitoring of the water quality of the Araks border river, the road map for the implementation of the works, and the annual schedule were approved.