Wednesday, September 26 2018 13:09

ArmInfo.The World Bank confirmed readiness to assist Armenia in the field of environmental protection. This was stated by the head of the WB Yerevan office,  Sylvie Bossutro, during a joint meeting of the ministries of the  Republic of Armenia with representatives of the World Bank, timed to  the process of solving environmental problems and overcoming  financial challenges.  According to the press service of the Ministry  of Nature Protection, during the meeting the participants discussed  mechanisms for mobilizing financial resources for environmental  protection.

The head of the department Eric Grigoryan presented the main  priorities of the policy of the ministry headed by him. "The  mechanism of" Nature - external debt "has been changed somewhat,  which is conditioned not by the process of repayment of external  debt, but by global environmental responsibility, and we are glad  that the initiative was supported by the World Bank," he said.

The World Bank's leading environmental consultant Adriana Damianova  presented the program "Mechanisms of financial mobilization for the  protection of the environment" to participants, noting the main  environmental risks of Armenia, methods of combating them, and  mechanisms for attracting domestic and external financial resources.

Participants were also presented that, in the context of current  processes, the Armenian side, within the framework of the Paris  Agreement, undertakes to provide 20.1% of the country's territory  with forest plantations by 2050, for which it is necessary to attract  several million dollars.

Recall that within the framework of the program "Nature: External  Debt", a phased reduction of the external debt is envisaged, incl.  due to the implementation of environmental programs estimated at $  570 million. The Ministry of Nature Protection is developing a "road  map", which will be presented to the World Bank. However, their  implementation, and the specific amounts to be written off from the  external debt, will become known in the next 2-3 years.