Lattakia, On the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of Tree Day, a central celebration was held on Thursday at the site of Beit Zantut in Qardaha countryside, and national afforestation campaigns were launched. These events were launched in the presence of Prime Minister, Hussein Arnous, Minister of Agriculture Mohammad Hassan Qatana and the governors of Lattakia, Hama and Tartous and a number of chairmen of organizations and unions. SANA reporter said that civil, popular and youth volunteer bodies, associations, and employees of government institutions are participating in the afforestation campaigns in cooperation with the cadres of the Agriculture Directorate. In a speech during the celebration, Prime Minister announced that upon the directives of President Bashar al-Assad, the Government decided to finance the production and distribute 250,000 saplings for free to different provinces. He called on national partners to take possible initiatives to expand the growing of trees, maintain a healthy environm ent for future generations and achieve the goals and indicators of sustainable and balanced development. 'Celebrating Tree Day is not limited to the importance of the tangible dimension of vegetation, but it is also related to the safety of the environment and the unity of human goals in facing the dangers of nature,' the Prime Minister added. Source: Syrian Arab News Agency