(BEIJING, March 23) -- The Athens Environmental Foundation (AEF) and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) have expressed their willingness to increase links and seek cooperation opportunities.

In a cordial discussion in Beijing on Friday, Executive Director Tony Diamantidis briefed BOCOG officials on AEF's experience in collaboration with the organizing committee for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (AOCOG), and expressed its readiness to help BOCOG enhance its environmental efforts. The leading official of BOCOG Construction and Environment Department extended his appreciation for AEF's offer and hoped that the two sides would specify the areas of cooperation.

AEF is a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing environmental issues at the Olympic Games. It assisted the AOCOG to set up an environmental management system (EMS) through the provision of ISO14001 software. Together with AOCOG, it successfully launched environmental advertisement in public places. The AEF organized Olympic Environmental Celebrations in 2004 and staged Global Olive Wreath events in the torch route cities for the Athens Olympics, thus boosting environmental awareness among Greeks and citizens of other countries.