Damascus - Rector of Damascus University Dr. Wael Moalla opened on Monday the 3rd German-Syrian Environment Week on Sustainable Energy and Environment Systems at Riad Said Conference Hall as part of cooperation with the German International Development and Training Foundation.
Dr. Moalla stressed the importance of this conference as it deals with pivotal issues related to Syria's national plan, underlining the important environmental developments in Syria such as the issuing of the environment-protection law and defining environmental issues of priority that require immediate attention.
He pointed out that the 10th five-year plan underlined the need to improve life quality and environmental performance in Syria through changing the production and consumption patterns that damage the environment, and protecting natural resources.
Dr. Moalla affirmed that Damascus University is giving significant attention to building environmental capabilities and spreading environmental awareness, adding that the University is planning to organize a conference on higher education for sustainable development in 2009.
For his part, the German Ambassador in Damascus Andreas Reinicke underlined the importance of the standing cooperation between Damascus University and German scientific institutes, stressing the need to develop this cooperation through the exchange of students and expertise, expressing the German side's readiness to provide support for improving cooperation.
In turn, Dr. Abdullah Nassour of Rostock University affirmed the importance of expanding cooperation between Syria and Germany to include economic in addition to scientific fields.
Representative of the German International Development and Training Foundation Anetta Mienert pointed out to the Syrian-German efforts for enriching the activities of this event.
For his part, Chairman of the Syrian Society for German Universities and Institutes Graduates Dr. Abdul Ghani Maa al-Bared noted that this conference is a continuation of the successful communication with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and other German institutes, stressing the need to focus on the results of similar meetings and carrying out their recommendations.
The four-day conference will discuss four main topics: drinking water and waste disposal, designing energy-saving buildings, new and renewable energy resources and hard waste and energy economics.
By H. Sabbagh / Ahmad Fathi ZAHRA
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2008
