The Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) intends to assist Kazakhstan in its nationwide reforestation efforts and wildfire prevention, QazMonitor reports citing Khabar 24.
Yedil Zhanbyrshin, the head of the committee on ecology and nature management in the lower house of Parliament, attended the organization's conference on the environment and development of the Asia-Pacific region in Seoul. During the conference, he negotiated the terms of exchanging experiences on reforestation practices with Sunpil Jin, the AFoCO's vice executive president.
"In 50-60 years, Korea has planted 11 billion trees and restored 2.5 million hectares of land to recover forests. Given this, we have offered the Korean side to share their rich experience with our country. We have discussed training to learn their technology and other important aspects, as well as inviting our people for internships," explained Zhanbyrshin.
On June 12, Uzbek and Turkish officials expressed their willingness to assist Kazakhstan in extinguishing the fire in the Abay region, according to Aybek Smadiyarov, the official representative of the ministry of foreign affairs, reported Kazinform.
"If the disaster is significant and the state is unable to eliminate its consequences, then it may have to seek assistance from other countries. However, at the moment, we have not requested such assistance. We are handling the situation ourselves. Nevertheless, I have heard that these countries have expressed their willingness to help," said Smadiyarov.
Established in 2018 and headquartered in Seoul, the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) is a treaty-based intergovernmental organization committed to strengthening forest cooperation and taking concrete actions to promote sustainable forest management and address the impacts of climate change.