Iran and France have agreed to carry out joint projects toward the enhancement of environmental issues in both countries.

Masoumeh Ebtekar, Iran’s vice president and head of the Department of the Environment (DoE), said on Sunday that she had reached an agreement with visiting French Environment Minister Segolene Royal on a number of joint projects addressing energy, water shortages and pollution.

In a Sunday meeting between the two officials, they agreed to establish several key partnerships on environmental issues by February 2017.

Referring to Royal’s visit to Iran, Ebtekar said it “sends a strong message to the global community that countries can have serious cooperation based on their shared interests in the field of the environment.”

Royal, who came to Iran on Ebtekar’s invitation, had arrived in the Iranian capital on Saturday.

The French minister said, “Several highly operational subjects were discussed” during her meeting with Ebtekar. “They were chosen by Iran on the basis of the challenges they face.”

“Since we face the same type of challenges in France, this is a terrific opportunity for cooperation,” Royal said.

The French minister is on a three-day visit to Iran and is accompanied by senior business figures from environmental and renewable energy firms specializing in water, pollution and energy efficiency, including the head of the Engie firm.

Royal said she would return to discuss progress on the partnerships in February next year.

On Monday, the French minister is due to visit Iran’s largest saltwater lake, Lake Urmia, which is in northwestern Iran and is a UNESCO heritage site that has lost 90 percent of its surface water in the past two decades as a result of climate changes, among other reasons.