Russia needs to look for effective cooperation programs in the environmental conservation sphere with its neighbors, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.
"Environmental protection is not only our national task. This cannot be solved single-handedly; we need closer cooperation with our neighbors," he said.
There are also countries, he added, "that are causing problems for us" and special arrangements are needed with them to minimize environmental damage.
Joint emergency drills are essential to effectively fight oil spills and other accidents, the president said.
While closing its environmentally hazardous enterprises, the Russian government needs to ensure that modern manufacturing facilities are created to provide enough jobs, Medvedev said.
MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti)
