BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The issues of environment occupy an important place in a bilateral agreement, which defines the relations between Azerbaijan and the EU, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev said during the opening ceremony of the project on "Strengthening services in the field of hydrometeorology and climate in Azerbaijan" implemented with the support of the EU, Trend reports on October 28.
He noted that the priority issues for Azerbaijan are environmental impact assessment, water resources and waste management, environmental education and training, sustainable forest management, communication of environmental information to the public, improvement of air quality, and conservation of biodiversity.
"Azerbaijan is actively participating in regional projects implemented as part of the Eastern Partnership initiative of the EU. According to information published by the World Meteorological Organization, the number and intensity of natural disasters in the world are growing as a result of rapid climate change. There is no region on the planet that would not face Hurricane Ian that swept over America and the natural disaster that caused devastation in France showed once again that no economy is immune to the climate crisis," Babayev said.
"Of course, it's impossible to prevent such processes. However, accurate forecasts and timely warnings can reduce possible negative consequences and save lives. Therefore, building the capacity of national forecasting agencies around the world serves to ensure the hydrometeorological safety of countries. Azerbaijan highly appreciates the support provided to countries by the World Meteorological Organization and continues business cooperation with this organization," he informed.
According to Babayev, Azerbaijan is the leader in the region in terms of the number of twinning projects.
"And over the years, twinning projects, the beneficiaries of which are various departments of the country, received the status of the most successful projects from the European Commission. The twinning project "Improving the national environmental monitoring system in Azerbaijan based on the exemplary experience of the European Union" was selected by the EU in 2019 as one of the most successful among the projects implemented in all countries," he said.