STATE HEAD MEETS FINNISH MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, /MONTSAME/ The President of Mongolia has received Mrs. Sirkka-Liisa Anttila, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Finland, in Helsinki.
"As one of the biggest exporters of paper, my country gives priority to an efficient exploitation of forest resources," said the Minister and spoke about the forest management of Finland. "Forests here are leased and owned by cooperatives and collective farms on the principle that any thing must have its own lord," she stressed.
The President and the Minister have agreed to develop a bilateral cooperation in frames of the Year of Forest to be announced by UN in 2011 and to exchange forest rearing professionals.
Finland's side has appreciated the National day of planting trees and the Forest Foundation initiated by the President in Mongolia, and has expressed a willingness to give technical assistance in achieving these targets.
Mr. Elbegdorj has mentioned that Mongolia urgently needs a new forestry management and suggested some proposals a to prepare forest specialists in Finland and to drill the Finnish experiences in forest management to Mongolia.
The dignitaries also have touched upon a matter of reindeer breeding. As Mrs. Anttila has said, Sami people live in northern part of Finland, some 5,000 of them run reindeer farms preparing 2.5 million kg reindeer meat a year. In addition, a number of tourists has increased who want to see reindeer, she said adding that a grwat attention is paid to these animals protection.
The Finland's side has expressed its readiness to supply Mongolia with deep-frozen sperms of reindeer.
B.Khuder