Environment Minister Tina Birbili and her counterparts from neighbouring Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) last week signed a trilateral pact for the protection of the Prespes Lakes, the largest of which occupies territory in all three countries.
The agreement was mooted last November during a meeting by Prime Minister George Papandreou, his Albanian counterpart Sali Berisha and FYROM’s premier, Nikola Gruevski, at the Prespes Lakes National Park.
The pact signed last week by the three environment ministers is primarily aimed at getting authorities in all three countries involved in a comprehensive scheme for the protection and sustainable development of the area.
The intent is to preserve the quantity and quality of the water in the two lakes, to prevent pollution and to maintain regional biodiversity through the protection of flora and fauna.
Other goals include the implementation of measures to avert soil erosion and the fostering of sustainable agriculture in the broader region.
Birbili described the agreement as a “very important step” and expressed the hope that it would be the first of “many bigger, more significant steps toward sustainable development in the region.”
The day of signing overlaps with the 10-year anniversary since the three countries’ environmental ministers at the time issued a joint statement announcing their commitment to cooperate on the protection of the Prespa Lakes’ ecosystem.
The Prespa Lakes, shared between Greece, Albania and Macedonia, are the highest tectonic lakes in the Balkans, standing at an altitude of 853 metres. They consist of the Great Prespa Lake, which is divided between the three countries and the Small Prespa Lake, shared only between Greece and Albania.
The area was declared a Transnational Park in 2000 because of its abundance of rare fauna and flora.