Photo taken on Aug. 17, 2013 shows the snow at the Mont-Blanc of the Alps. Mont-Blancwith the altitude of 4,810 meters is the highest peak in Europe. (Xinhua/Wang Xiaojun)

GENEVA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland, France and Italy have inked a deal to initialize the candidacy procedure for the Mont Blanc to join UNESCO's World Heritage Site list, according to local media Swissinfo on Tuesday.

The three countries signed a declaration on Tuesday in Chamonix, France, at a cross-border meeting, which represents "preliminary steps" necessary to classify the Mont Blanc massif as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The move aims to "guarantee the preservation and active development" of the natural wonder, the deal said.

"All lights are green," affirmed Catherine Berthet, Chamonix's commissioner of cross-border policy. She added that the development of specifications for the candidacy is expected in the first half of 2018, and that the overall classification process by UNESCO could take "between five and ten years."

About 4,808 meters high, the Mont Blanc massif is the highest peak in western Europe, straddling France, Italy and the Swiss canton of Valais.