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Minister Davitashvili: “Environmental programing is a priority for both, within the state as well as the Association Agreement’s agenda”
Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA), Mr Levan Davitashvili attended an exhibition “A friend to the nature” at the Krtsanisi Forest-Park together with the H.E. Thomas Muehlmann, Ambassador of Austria to Georgia. An exhibition was organized as an effort to commemorate the World Environment Day and featured works of Mr Friedensreich Hundertwasser, prominent Austrian artist and environmentalist.
“Since 1974, Georgia, along the rest of the World, celebrated the World Environment Day, therefore, discussing environmental policies on this occasion – is vital. Environmental programming is a priority for both, the state as well as the Association Agreement’s agenda. The respective sphere requires progress for Georgia and deployment of successful environmental policy, which will complement the country transforming into a more credible applicant for becoming a member of the European Union. We have a well-formulated agenda, which is part to the Association Agreement and entails programming at various matters. Last year, expansion of protected territories reached an unprecedented scale and is up to 200, 000 hectares and spans across 12 % of an entire country; the new forest reform; through assistance of the donors, we will ensure a better management of forest industries and ecology, as well as accurate deployment of economic potential. Caring for the air quality is crucial. We are at the Krtsanisi Forest-Park, which is located between Tbilisi and Rustavi. The biggest challenges of all are faced by Rustavi. We have adopted and enacted new legislation, thus, by the end of the year – large enterprises will cultivate modern technologies and consistent monitoring will ensure enhancement of the city’s environmental conditions. Moreover, Tbilisi Mayor Office-deployed urban greenery efforts are crucial; in fact, we have achieved significant progress in terms of greenery of Tbilisi. In 2017, the Government adopted complexed approach for managing Tbilisi’s air quality. We have witnessed positive changes to transport, greenery policies, city’s ecological improvement. Last year, the Government adopted the similar plan for Rustavi, thus, I am confident that we will harvest significant progress in the respective city. We have reached an agreement with the Government of Sweden. We will obtain financial means for a complete assessment and planning of the Rustavi Mtkvari Chala ecosystem, which will result into Rustavi’s consistent greenery” – Minister Davitashvili stated.
Minister Davitashvili thanked Ambassador of Austria, Austrian Development Agency, LEPL Agency of Wildlife and the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN). Moreover, visit to the Krtsanisi Forest-Park is on purpose, as the Austrian Development Agency has made significant assistance to sustaining a green space, which spans across 200 hectares and is nearby Tbilisi.
The respective occasion was organized as a commemoration of the World Environment Day hosted representatives of the diplomatic community, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Georgia, H.E. Hubert Knirsch, State Trustee of Kvemo Kartli, Mr Shota Rekhviashvili, Deputy Chairperson of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee, MP Khatia Tsilosani and various agencies of the MEPA attended the event.