Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin today signed a memorandum during a ceremony attended by Head of Unit of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Eastern Partnership of the Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission Vassilis Maragos, as well as several high-ranking officials, reports Yerevan Municipality.

On December 17, 2019, Yerevan Municipality and the European Union signed the N (NEAR-TS/2019/412-943) grant agreement on cooperation of Yerevan, Warsaw and Tirana to overcome the general challenges for hazardous waste management, the main goal of which is to introduce a new and effective system of hazardous waste management through systemic reforms in municipal management. The total cost of the project is EUR 5,326,377. After completion of the project, there will be final solutions for all potential hazardous wastes in Yerevan.

During the solemn signing of the memorandum, Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan stressed that Yerevan has submitted a bid for a tender to participate in the project and won, meaning that the current policy of Yerevan on hazardous waste management is fully in line with the principles of the European Union.

The mayor also stated that Yerevan has completed all the preparation works, taking into consideration the commitments envisaged by the plan for hazardous waste management. All the aforementioned results will be ensured through close cooperation with Tirana and Warsaw.

Before the solemn signing of the memorandum, Hayk Marutyan received Head of Unit of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Eastern Partnership of the Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission Vassilis Maragos. The interlocutors talked about Yerevan’s cooperation with EU institutions in the fields of social importance, as well as nature protection and urban development. Marutyan stated that public transport reforms are among the main challenges facing Yerevan and that Yerevan is preparing to have “green” transport.

In his turn, Maragos stated that EU institutions are committed to assisting in the efforts to create a safe and prosperous environment for the populations in partnering countries and are ready to consider the terms of cooperation in certain sectors.