Otar Shamugia thanked Swedish Govt for their support in the field of environment, agricultural development

Georgia: The Minister of Environment and Agriculture, Otar Shamugia, hosted the visiting Director-General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Karin Yamtin, and the Ambassador of Sweden to Georgia, Ulrik Tidestrom, who is visiting Georgia at the Krtsanisi Forest Park.

Otar Shamugia thanked the Swedish Government, the Agency (SIDA) and the Ambassador for their support in the field of environment and agricultural development and stressed the importance of the project “Save Nature – Georgia”.

Within the framework of the event, the presentation of the project “Save Nature – Georgia”, funded by the Swedish government, was held. The project, with a total budget of approximately € 5.5 million, aims to promote sustainable management and efficiency of Georgia’s natural resources in the areas of forest protection, biodiversity conservation, protected areas and air quality improvement in Georgia. 

This project is in full compliance with the priorities of the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union, and its implementation will significantly contribute to the rapprochement of our country with Europe.

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“Our goal is to contribute to the improvement of socio-economic conditions of the population through nature protection and sustainable development in the country and thus contribute to the process of economic development of the country. It is important to note that in both environmental and agricultural areas, we have the strong support of the EU, donors and partner organizations. I think, through coordinated cooperation, we will be able to implement effective reforms necessary for the rapid development of the country,” Otar Shamugia said.

“Long-term and close cooperation between Georgia and Sweden has yielded very good results in various areas. We support Georgia’s transition to a circular economy and assist in the planning and setting of concrete steps in this area, as well as in the preparation and implementation of legislation, strategies and action plans in the field of biodiversity, air quality monitoring and waste management. I am confident that our cooperation and bilateral relations will be further strengthened and expanded, and together we will be able to achieve even greater results,” said Karin Yamtin.

Representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture made presentations on projects in the field of environment, waste management, biodiversity, climate change and protected area development with the financial support of the Swedish government and SIDA, involving local partners and international organizations. The conversation focused on the results achieved within the projects, the existing challenges and the ways to solve them.

The event held in Krtsanisi Forest Park was attended by Maia Bitadze, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, representatives of the Swedish Embassy, ​​local self-government bodies, donors, implementers, and international and non-governmental organizations.