Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

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Otar Shamugia meets the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden.

Acting Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Otar Shamugia, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Georgia, Mrs. Anna Lyberg.

During the introductory meeting, the parties discussed current joint projects and prospects for future cooperation. Mr. Otar Shamugia congratulated the Swedish Ambassador on her appointment to a new position and wished her success in her future endeavors, noting that Georgia and Sweden have been actively and fruitfully collaborating on environmental issues for many years.

The conversation covered the ongoing "Save Nature-Georgia" project, which is being implemented with the Swedish government's support. The parties also highlighted issues concerning the development of protected areas, the draft law on ''Biodiversity'', Georgia's efforts towards waste management, and ways to transition to a circular economy.

"We are jointly implementing the project "Save Nature - Georgia", which has included several important activities, among them the expansion of air quality monitoring stations. It is essential to mention that our activities will expand in this direction, with the support of the European Union, and will gradually cover the whole country. We are actively working on developing the protected areas and planning to set up a new space near Tbilisi that will have a recreational, educational, and tourism purpose.
We are also working on creating new protected areas in Samegrelo, Svaneti, Guria, and Racha regions. With the support of Sweden, we could elaborate a draft law on ''Biodiversity'', which we will discuss in the Parliament shortly. In addition, we are working on the draft law on hunting. Overall, last year was incredibly active and positive", said Mr. Shamugia.

The Minister emphasized the importance of granting Georgia the status of a candidate member of the European Union last year and the progress achieved by our country in implementing the recommendations. 
According to Mr. Shamugia, after receiving the status, more active steps should be taken, in which the support of the European Union and partner countries is crucial.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Georgia, Mrs. Anna Lyberg, noted that Sweden is a strong supporter of Georgia, and it is significant to strengthen the cooperation between the parties in the future.

The Head of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency/ Deputy Head of Mission, Mr. Erik Iles, the Head of the Environmental Program of the Swedish Embassy in Georgia, Mrs. Khatuna Zaldastanishvili, and representatives of the relevant services of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture attended the meeting.