Minister Hakob Simidyan received the delegation led by Victor Richter, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Armenia.
The delegation included Madeleine Rauschenberger, director of the Armenian office of the German International Cooperation Company, Christian Henschel, responsible for EU4Sevan and Ecoserve programs, Zara Chatinyan, representative of KfW Bank in Armenia, and Katrin Buder-Pelch, responsible for cooperation development.
Welcoming the colleagues, Minister Simidyan referred to the effective Armenian-German cooperation in the field of environment.
"Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Republic of Germany have a significant environmental agenda. The German government is a reliable and important partner for Armenia and, in particular, for our sectorial reforms, I am sure that the bilateral cooperation will become more and more effective," the minister noted.
A wide range of sectoral issues were discussed during the meeting.
In particular, reference was made to:
2018 between the Republic of Armenia and the German Reconstruction Credit Bank (KfW). On November 31, the largest grant program "Biodiversity and Sustainable Local Development in Armenia" was signed, the total budget of which currently amounts to 26.2 million euros. The minister noted that the successful implementation of the project is one of the main priorities of the Ministry of Environment.
The environmental protection program of Lake Sevan "EU4Sevan" co-financed by the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany (GIZ) was discussed. The Minister and Deputy Minister Aram Meymaryan expressed their satisfaction with the progress of the project and the results registered within its scope. In this context, reference was made to the issue of the construction of Gavar waste water treatment plant.
The minister referred to the Armenian-German scientific research project "Creation of science-based management tools for Lake Sevan" (SEVAMOD1) implemented by "Armhydromet" SNCO jointly with the German Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research within the framework of Armenian-German cooperation. The importance of knowledge-based programs in the field of protection and management of Lake Sevan was emphasized.
The minister presented the most large-scale reforms implemented in the sector to his colleagues, talking about the newly created eco-patrol service and legislative regulations in the water sector.
Newly launched programs were also discussed during the meeting.
The new program "EU for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Armenian Communities" was presented, which aims to provide communities and households with better access to energy efficiency and sustainable energy opportunities, contributing to the improvement of energy security of the rural population and the preservation of natural resources.
At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed readiness to deepen cooperation in possible directions.