Skopje, 15 November 2022 (MIA) – Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy Ljupcho Nikolovski said Tuesday he has signed a Communiqué with counterparts from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro, in the framework of the 16th meeting of agriculture ministers from Southeast Europe, held in Budva, Montenegro. Minister Nikolovski says the Communiqué aims to create a regional platform for information exchange and building common platforms for soil protection in the Western Balkans. “We will work together on identifying soil degradation in the region through its monitoring, followed by drafting of policies focused on sustainable soil management, exchange of cross-border practical experiences, development of public databases and knowledge platforms. Through this we jointly contribute to improving productiveness and ensuring eco-system services, healthy and available food, access to water resources, leading in turn to protection of biological diversity and adaptation to climate change,” Nikolovski wrote in a Facebook post. The Budva meeting focuses on the issues of perspectives in agriculture and rural development but also the process of regional cooperation in the agri-sector, as well as significance of the Euro-integration process for the countries of the Western Balkans.