Consul Cunanan attended a meeting, convened by Deputy Minister Georga Zedginidze, of officials of the Ministry of Environment Protection’s Agency of Protected Areas (APA). The group discussed specific areas of cooperation relevant to the field of environment protection, like eco-tourism promotion, parks and nature reservation management, and wildlife conservation, which fall under the responsibility of the APA.

Consul Cunanan expressed his admiration at the work being undertaken by the APA and the impressive accomplishments achieved to date. Aside from the broad MOU between the Ministry of Environment Protection and Department of Environment and Natural Resources proposed earlier by Minister Khachidze, Consul Cunanan is working on a more agency-specific agreement between the APA and its counterpart in the Philippines, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau. He is also working on a “sister-park relationship” between Rizal Park in Manila, the Philippines’ premiere urban recreational and historical area and administered by the National Parks Development Committee, and a similar park in Georgia.

Finally, Consul Cunanan is working with partner companies Interlink Travel Agency, one of the oldest and most respected tour companies in the Philippines, and Qatar Airways Manila to begin the first eco-cultural tours from the Philippines to Georgia.