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Otar Shamugia meets the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Georgia Heidi Grau.
Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Mr. Otar Shamugia hosted the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Georgia Mrs. Heidi Grau. The issues of future cooperation in the agricultural and environmental protection fields between the two countries have been discussed at the meeting.The Minister expressed his gratitude to the Government of the Swiss Confederation and the Ambassador for providing active support to Georgia.
"We have a long-term partnership and fruitful cooperation with the Swiss side, but I believe, that there might be even more potential for deepening relations, both in the environmental protection and agricultural fields. The difficult situation in the region has posed new challenges to our country.
We have started to work even more actively to diversify the export markets for Georgian products, to improve access to the European market. Georgia has already applied for EU membership, which requires making more efforts to fulfill its commitments taken under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA).
At the same time, Georgia is in a phase of implementing significant reforms in the field of environmental protection - forest code, waste management, ambient air quality, adaptation to climate change, etc., all the aforementioned require complex measures and large financial resources. Therefore, the support from partner European countries, including Switzerland, as well as sharing their experience with the Georgian side is crucial to achieving our goals, ” Mr. Otar Shamugia said.
According to the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Georgia, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Georgia and Switzerland. During these years, fruitful cooperation has been established between the two countries and the Swiss side is ready to continue supporting Georgia, particularly in the implementation of ongoing environmental reforms.
"Georgia is taking important steps towards the development of rural and agricultural areas, as well as environmental protection field. Over the years, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has been successfully implementing a number of projects in Georgia, promoting food safety, animal identification/registration, and vocational education in the country.
In 2021, the Agreement was signed between Georgia and Switzerland to facilitate the achievement of global emission reduction targets, moreover, under the frame of the respective agreement, we can implement new projects, considering the needs of Georgia. We are ready to deepen our cooperation on climate change mitigation and waste management. Ensuring environmental protection is a foundation, that will help Georgia in the development of many areas," said Mr. Heidi Graum.
The meeting was attended by Mrs. Nino Tandilashvili, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, and Mrs. Danielle Meuwly, Regional Director for the Swiss Cooperation Office in the South Caucasus.