Germany Also Comes to the Aid of Iran's Environment

A joint statement between Iran and Germany was signed by the head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization and the German Federal Minister for the Environment. News agencies have reported that with the signing of this joint statement, environmental cooperation between Iran and Germany will accelerate. Masoumeh Ebtekar, head of the Environmental Protection Organization who traveled to Berlin, shared on her social media, including Instagram, photos of her meetings with the German Foreign Minister and Minister of Environment, mentioning the possibility of Germany's participation in the restoration of the Hamoun wetlands. These collaborations are aimed at enabling Iran to benefit from clean and environmentally friendly technologies, strengthening international relations in combating climate change, desertification, and managing water and soil pollution, among other topics included in the joint agreements signed during the two-day visit. During her meeting with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Foreign Minister, issues related to removing barriers to environmental cooperation with Iran were also discussed. The presence of private companies, especially in the management and production of electricity from waste and solar and wind power plants in Iran, was also mentioned. According to the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization's news agency, Masoumeh Ebtekar also met with Claudia Roth, the First Vice President of the German Parliament, on the second day of her trip to Germany. In this meeting, the need for cooperation between Germany, Iran, and Afghanistan to assist the Hamoun Lake was emphasized, and the Vice President of the German Parliament stated that she would explore ways to realize this cooperation. Claudia Roth, who visited Lake Urmia during her last year's trip to Iran, has closely experienced traffic and air pollution in Iran's metropolises. She has shown her willingness to participate in improving air pollution, particularly for expanding public transportation in Iran. However, as Bijan Koushan, a geologist and environmental expert in Cologne, Germany, points out, such collaborations and assistance from a country like Germany require basic infrastructure in Iran. As environmental officials from both countries have stated, the joint environmental statement between the two countries is set to be implemented in a fifteen-month work program. Following this trip, the Deputy Minister of Energy announced that Iran and Germany had reached an agreement on financing and implementing the integrated water resources management project along the Zayandeh Rud River.