Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 8
By Anvar Mammadov – Trend:
Azerbaijan and Germany have signed a financing contract and a special agreement on "Program for support of the reserved areas of Azerbaijan, Zagatala-Balakan district".
The documents were signed on behalf of Azerbaijan by the Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyngulu Baghirov, on behalf of Germany by KfW Development Bank’s Director for the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia Eva Witt.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov underlined that the country attached great importance to cooperation with Germany. He stressed the significance of projects carried out by the German government and KfW Development Bank in the country.
German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Michael Kindsgrab hailed bilateral relations between the two countries. He stressed the importance of joint projects.
The grant for the project was allocated based on an agreement on financial cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany signed in November 2013. The total cost of the project, implementation of which is scheduled to start in 2016 and end in 2019, is 4.5 million euros, and the amount of the grant is four million euros.
The main objectives of the project are the preparatory work for the creation of the first Zagatala-Balaken biosphere reserve in Azerbaijan, strengthening the infrastructure of Zagatala reserve, support measures to protect the environment and create new jobs.
The first biosphere reserve in Azerbaijan will be established on the basis of the Zagatala reserve and the Balakan reserve. Two million euros of provided financing is intended for future reserve administration and another two million euros - for support of the zone’s population. For that purpose, a minimum required revolver fund will be created under the reserve administration’s management.
The fund will issue microloans (without interest or with formal interest) to finance minimization of population’s impact on the environment: gasification to stop use of firewood and traditional profitable activity to prevent the population from uncontrolled use of natural resources.