Solomon Pavliashvili participated in the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Canada.

Solomon Pavliashvili participated in the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Canada.

Mr. Solomon Pavliashvili, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, took part in the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.

During the official visit, Mr. Solomon Pavliashvili met Mrs. Sandra McCardell, Assistant Deputy Minister, International Affairs Branch at Environment and Climate Change in Canada.

The conversation touched upon the importance of environmental reforms implemented in Georgia. As mentioned, strengthening relations between the countries will make the bilateral cooperation in the environmental protection area even more effective, including the fight against climate change.

Mr. Solomon Pavliashvili emphasized the significance of granting the EU candidate status to Georgia while also prioritizing the timely and effective implementation of the EU recommendations.

According to Mr. Pavliashvili, Georgia has a waste management system based on European approaches and Extended Producer Responsibility, which is one of the significant aspects of developing a circular economy model in the country.

The Deputy Minister briefed Mrs. Sandra McCardell on the policy documents of Georgia- the Updated National Strategy on Waste Management 2016-2030 and Action Plan 2016-2020, emphasizing that one of the key goals of the mentioned documents is improving the plastic waste management system in the country.

The parties also touched upon the importance of the reforms implemented in improving the ambient air quality and combating climate change and its impact.
As stated by Mrs. Sandra McCardell, Georgia's environmental efforts, including sustainable waste management, were impressive, and she expressed her desire to further deepen bilateral collaboration in the mentioned area.

It is worth noting that the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee aims to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.

Mr. Giorgi Meskheli, Acting Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to Canada, attended the meeting.