Tripartite agreement for Prespes Lake preservation

The leaders of Greece, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) and Albania on Friday agreed to sign a tripartite agreement in early February for the greater environmental protection of the ecologically significant Prespes Lake region shared by all three countries.

The announcement came after meetings in a lake-side village on the Greek side by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and his counterparts from Albania and fYRoM, Sali Berisha and Nikola Gruevski, respectively.

All three sides also promised to promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation in water management, the taking of anti-pollution and soil erosion prevention measures, as well as to promote the viable management of biodiversity in the verdant region.

All three premiers also voiced their support for an international agreement at the upcoming Copenhagen summit.

The agreement is expected to be signed on Feb. 2, 2010