Developing Cooperation between Iran and Kazakhstan in the
Field of Water, Soil and Natural Resources Protection

Massoud Mansour, Deputy Minister and Head of FRWO, met
with Talgat Amangeldievich Momyshev, Deputy Minister of Ecology, Geology
and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan and reviewed the ways to
develop cooperation between Iran and Kazakhstan in water, soil and natural
resources protection.

According to FRWO’s website, a meeting between Deputy
Minister and Head of FRWO with Deputy Minister of Ecology, Geology
and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan chaired by Dr. Massoud
Mansour, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jahad and Head of the Forests, Range
and Watershed Management Organization (FRWO) with the agenda of developing
cooperation between Iran and Kazakhstan in the field of water, soil and natural
resources protection was held at FRWO's Headquarters on Sunday, 20 February
2022. 

In this meeting, Dr. Mansour referring to the
capacities and capabilities of our country in the field of afforestation,
rangeland management, desertification control and integrated watershed
management measures, emphasized on using the knowledge of Iranian experts and
transferring our country's experiences to Kazakhstan.

Head of FRWO reiterated that based on "Forests and
Rangelands Nationalization Law" approved
in 1962, As of the mentioned date, all lands and properties therein including
forests, rangelands, wooded lands and forestlands are announced public property
and belong to the Government, even if before the ratification of the present
law they belong to individuals/private owners.

"The law obliges us to manage
natural resources in the form of technical plans and by natural and legal
persons," he said.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jahad and Head of FRWO
stated: "The role and participation of the people in natural resources
management is considered to be the driving force and the people cooperate with
FRWO in the form of natural resources projects and in this regard, about one million
rural and nomadic families depend on the country's rangelands."

Deputy Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of
Kazakhstan expressed his satisfaction with the meeting and referring to
cooperation of Iran with Kazakhstan in the field of agriculture and natural
resources management, reiterated: "Iran can establish good cooperation
with Kazakhstan by transferring experiences."

Talgat Amangeldievich Momyshev called the drying up of
the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan as the biggest environmental challenge of his
country and said: "As the lake dried up, hundreds of thousands of tons of
salt dust are produced annually and dispersed via the air. Therefore, Iran can
contribute to Kazakhstan by using the work of its experts and
technologies to revitalize the Aral Sea, afforestation in desert and non-desert
lands, as well as by providing technical services in the field of integrated
watershed management (IWM)."

Referring to the issue of afforestation in Kazakhstan,
Mr. Momyshev said: "In 2021, about 61,000 hectares of
afforestation have been carried out in Kazakhstan, and currently the country's
forest area is 6 million hectares."

Deputy Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of
Kazakhstan noted:"There are many
possible arrangements for cooperation between Iran and Kazakhstan in the field
of agriculture and natural resources management, and our experts have agreed to
use the technical and specialized services of Iranian contractors to train and
transfer knowledge and experience".

Based on this report, at the end of the meeting, Deputy
Minister and Head of FRWO dedicated the symbol of the oak tree to Deputy
Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan as memento.

It is worth mentioning that before entering the meeting,
Mr. Momyshev visited the Memorial of Natural Resources' Martyrs at
FRWO and planted a sapling around the Memorial.

http://www.frw.ir/02/En/News/News.aspx?nwsId=93859