Germany confirms its willingness to assist Armenia in organizing COP17

ArmInfo. Within the framework  of the 16th session of the Conference to Combat Desertification, held  in Saudi Arabia, Germany confirmed its willingness to assist Armenia  in organizing the Conference on Biological Diversity (COP17). This  was stated by Niels Annen, the Parliamentary State Secretary to the  Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of  Germany, at a meeting with Hakob Simidyan,  the Minister of   Environment.  After thanking the German side for their willingness to  provide support, the Minister emphasized: "Holding COP17 in Armenia  is a pivotal moment for us, and we want to organize it properly.  Therefore, it is important to exchange experiences with the German  side on ensuring the participation of different countries in the  forum, as well as the proper engagement of youth and women." He also  pointed out the effective high-level cooperation between the two  countries with an expanded agenda that goes beyond environmental  protection.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed ongoing environmental  projects, including the "Biodiversity and Sustainable Local  Development in Armenia" program, implemented with financial support  from Germany with a budget of 26.2 million euros.  According to the  source, the program includes two components that are a priority  within the COP17 agenda: biodiversity and conservation, as well as  the management of specially protected natural areas, forest  conservation and sustainable management.  The parties also agreed to  continue enhancing existing cooperation during the meeting.