Pepe: Environment Not Obstacle Before Sustainable Development

MAASTRICHT - Turkish Environment and Forestry Minister Osman Pepe said on Saturday that environment was not an obstacle before sustainable development.
Pepe represented Turkey in the Informal Environment Council in Maastricht.
Replying to questions of reporters in the meeting, Pepe said that Turkey recorded great progress in environmental arrangements.
Pepe stressed that what was important was implementation, stating that Turkey should make investment amounting to at least 40-50 billion euros next 10-12 years to adjust its environmental structure to that of the European Union (EU).
Recalling that Turkey made investment amounting to averagely 1 billion euros on environment annually, Pepe said that this figure would increase to 3.5 billion euros in a short time.
Environment and Forestry Minister Pepe left for Belgium to return to Turkey via Brussels.
(EÖ-BRC) 17.07.2004