OREANDA-NEWS. February 24, 2010. Opening the meeting with introductory remarks,the President said that the year 2010 had been declared the “Year of Environment” in Azerbaijan, adding the country placed a particular emphasis on solving environmental problems and had adopted a specific program in this regard. The President noted that the program covered wide range of areas, and reflected the mechanisms of implementation, the period of execution and financial sources of the scheduled measures.

Comprehensively analyzing the successes of Azerbaijan in the socio-economic sphere, achieved despite the ongoing world financial and economic crisis, President Ilham Aliyev stressed the importance of paying particular attention to environmental issues, in addition to strengthening these economic achievements.

The President spoke of how the government had been tackling environmental problems, in particular the cleaning of oil-polluted areas and utilization of wastewater, sewage and household waste, and outlined further priorities.

Minister of ecology and natural resources Huseyngulu Baghirov, Baku Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov, and president of the State Oil Company Rovnag Abdullayev – informed President Ilham Aliyev of projects aimed at solving environmental problems in Azerbaijan in 2010 and the years ahead.

The President stressed the importance of actively engaging ordinary people in land improvement works in Baku and the Absheron Peninsula, which aims planting over 3 million trees.

Noting that commissioning Hovsan aerating station has become a significant contribution to solving the problem of sewage in the capital, President Ilham Aliyev stressed the importance of drawing up a project of re-utilization of wastewater based on international experience. The President noted that construction of Oguz-Gabala-Baku water pipeline will complete soon, which will improve drinking water supply of Baku, and gave instructions to increase the number of modular units, constructed in the regions to improve drinking water quality, and to expand the territories of these projects. Commenting on measures to clean up the Bay of Baku, President Ilham Aliyev stressed the possibility of desalination of the Caspian Sea and using it as drinking water and for irrigation according to international experience.

The Head of State expressed his opinion on issues of preventing air pollution, protecting forests, draining several lakes in the Absheron Peninsula, developing and transforming a number of lakes into recreation areas, and projects on renewable energy. He assigned comprehensive projects and proposals on all the topics discussed.