Estonia and Georgia strengthen cooperation on nature conservation

Image: Peter Gornischeff

On 28 April, conservation leaders from Georgia, led by Iuri Nozadze, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, who oversees protected areas, visited the Environmental Investment Centre (EIC) to explore ways to foster cooperation and learn from our experiences. Andrus Treier, the Chief Executive Officer at EIC, presented the Centre’s activities and future challenges.

For the Deputy Minister, it was positive news that EIC provides services to as many as three different ministries and thus distributes grants and carries out environmental activities across a broader spectrum than the administration of the Ministry of the Environment. This will allow EIC to support environmental projects with a more holistic approach.

The delegation is staying in Estonia at the invitation of the Environmental Board, within the framework of which a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Palmse, on 27 April, to confirm common conservation interests and willingness to cooperate. The delegation also visited the Environment Agency and the Estonian Environmental Research Centre.

The meetings and the Memorandum of Understanding mark 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Estonia and Georgia.