YEREVAN, MARCH 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Minister of Nature Protection Vardan Aivazian and the Head of the German Union for Nature Preservation (GUNP) Leif Miller on March 6 signed an agreement on cooperation. According to V. Aivazian, the GUNP's willingness to cooperate will encourage a new stage of Armenian-German cooperation in environmental protection. He stated that such problems as presevation of Armenian mouflon, fight against poaching, ecotourism development and preservation of water and marsh areas in Ararat Valley are today on the agenda. Leif Miller said that 26 thousand euros will be allocated for the program on Armenian mouflon's preservation and 15 thousand euros - for preservation of water and marsh areas in Ararat Valley. In the words of the German Amabassdor to Armenia Ms. Heike Renate Peitsch, environmental problems do not recognize national borders and can be solved only in cooperation with neighboring countries. "This is a sphere where Armenia can establish efficient cooperation with neighboring Georgia and Azerbaijan," she stated. It was noted that a summit on the UN Biodiversity Convention will be held in Germany in 2008, and the GUNP will assist the RA ministry of nature protection with preparing for this event.

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