Business news

MINSK, 16 January (BelTA) – Belarus and Egypt will establish cooperation in groundwater extraction and air quality management, Irina Stekh-Sankevich, spokesperson for the Belarusian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, told BelTA.

“Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Andrei Kovkhuto is currently in Egypt on a visit as part of an official delegation headed by President Alexander Lukashenko. Two documents have already been signed, namely a memorandum of understanding and cooperation in protection and sustainable management of water resources between the Belarusian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and also a memorandum of understanding and cooperation in environmental protection, sustainable management of natural resources, and climate change between the relevant Belarusian ministry and the Egyptian Ministry of Environment,” Irina Stekh-Sankevich said.

She explained that the documents provide for the development of the bilateral cooperation in norm- and standard-setting, metrology and standardization in environmental protection, exploration and drilling of groundwater production wells and development of the underwater management system, quality management of air, groundwater and surface water, adaptation of water resources management to climate change, effective reuse of the drainage and wastewater, and organization of recording of water consumption and disposal.

Andrei Kovkhuto will have a bilateral meeting with the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources as part of the Belarus-Egypt business forum on 16 January.

Irina Stekh-Sankevich noted that in mid-December 2016, Minsk hosted a meeting between Belarusian Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Andrei Kovkhuto and Egyptian Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Mohammed Abdel Atty. During the meeting, the sides discussed prospects of advancing bilateral cooperation in the protection and rational use of water resources. The Egyptian side expressed interest in cooperation in a number of areas, including control over the pollution of water resources, technologies for purifying and recycling water, drainage systems, new and promising water extraction technologies, including water production from alternative sources. The Egyptian side also expressed interest in water demineralization, ways to increase production and reduce losses in the course of using water resources, purification of artesian water from iron and magnesium.