Russia to expand environmental cooperation with BRICS countries

Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoi held a number of bilateral meetings in the run-up to the BRICS Environment Ministers Meeting.

During the talks with Brazil's Deputy Minister of Environment Francisco Gaetani, both sides voiced their intention to draft a joint cooperation programme for environmental protection.

Mr. Donskoi believes that the development and step-by-step introduction of environmentally safe and economically effective innovative technologies to reduce the consumption of resources and negative environmental impact should become an important part of this programme. "Adherence to the principles of a ‘green economy' should catalyse investment and innovation that can create new economic opportunities and serve as a foundation for structural changes in favour of resource-saving and technologically advanced sectors and activities in Russia and Brazil," he said.

Mr. Donskoi also noted the potential for joint programmes to create a modern information and geological foundation for studying and protecting natural resources that would include cutting-edge Russian remote-sensing technology adapted for Brazilian conditions, geophysical and geochemical research.

In turn, Mr. Gaetani said Brazil was extremely interested in launching more active bilateral cooperation to preserve the diversity of biological species, to process solid waste, and to better manage the forests. Russian-Brazilian cooperation in geology and the development of mineral deposits was also listed among promising areas for cooperation.

That same day, Mr. Donskoi met with Minister of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China, Dr. Chen Jining. During the talks, Mr. Donskoi said that bilateral cooperation was developing quite successfully, adding that both parties had accomplished a lot, but that they should move forward, build on the results achieved and expand new mutually beneficial cooperation areas. Waste management could be part of this, Mr. Donskoi suggested.

Dr. Chen Jining reaffirmed China's interest in expanded cooperation.