Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the International Conference on Nature and Environment Protection in Altai. The event was also attended by the heads of governments of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan, in particular, noted:

“Dear Mikhail Vladimirovich,
Dear heads of delegations,
Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank for the invitation to participate in the international environmental conference and express my gratitude to the Head of the Government of the Russian Federation for the hospitality and for organizing today’s event at a high level.

It is symbolic that the discussion of this extremely important topic is taking place in Altai, which is famous for its natural beauty.

Distinguished Heads of Delegations,
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

Armenia is a mountainous country, with 80% of its territory made up of high-mountainous regions. Our country is known for its variety of climatic zones, from arid subtropical to alpine. Armenia has many endemic species of flora and fauna. Four national parks and three reserves occupy more than 10% of the country’s territory. Among them is the Khosrov Reserve, which is based on a man-made forest, which was founded in the 4th century as a royal hunting ground. The pearl of Armenia, Lake Sevan, is the largest freshwater reservoir in the region.

The country’s mountain ecosystems are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Droughts and floods are becoming more frequent. Although Armenia’s carbon dioxide emissions are extremely insignificant on a global scale, our country is one of the most affected by global warming. The consequences of climate change are expressed in accelerated melting of glaciers, decreased precipitation, landslides, soil erosion and desertification. The lack of water resources leads to a decrease in the efficiency of pastures and arable lands, as well as a reduction in forest resources. In this context, we emphasize the importance of increasing the efficiency of water use, the introduction of innovative technologies and the implementation of drip irrigation programs.

For this reason, the Government of Armenia has approved the “Program for Climate Change Adaptation in the Water Resources Sector for 2022-2026.” A new bill “On Climate” has been developed. The aim of the bill is to create a legal and institutional basis for the development and implementation of climate policy in the country.

In response to national needs and international obligations, in May 2021, the Government approved the National Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan and the List of Activities for 2021-2026, thus defining the strategic framework for adaptation and its planning efforts in the country on a permanent and continuous basis in the future.

Armenia welcomes the cooperation of the EAEU member states within the framework of the climate agenda, the Eurasian low-carbon development programs are also important.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Attaching importance to the preservation of biodiversity, Armenia is implementing programs to restore wild animal populations. Since 2002, the Caucasian leopard population restoration program, implemented jointly with the World Wide Fund for Nature, has yielded significant results. The permanent residence and reproduction of this species in Armenia has already been recorded, which indicates the achievement of stability in the habitat and food supply of the Caucasian leopard. The program to restore the population of the Caucasian noble deer in the Dilijan Reserve is also being implemented jointly with the Fund.

Armenia also supports the agenda of mountain countries within the UN framework. We actively participate in the work of the Group of Friends of Mountain Countries within the UN framework, initiated by Kyrgyzstan. We have also joined the initiative of the Kyrgyz side “Mountain Partnership Group” within the framework of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change. We hope that the group will become an active participant in the negotiation processes within the framework of the climate conference, for which we are ready to actively contribute to the formation of the necessary agenda within the framework of the group.

Dear colleagues,

As you know, the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, COP17, will be held in Armenia in 2026.

We expect the participation of high-level delegations from your countries, as well as representatives of academic and expert circles in the work of COP17. As the presiding and hosting country, Armenia will make every effort to ensure an effective dialogue, bring the positions of the parties closer together, and make balanced and meaningful decisions that take into account the interests and priorities of all parties.

We are confident that together we can make a significant contribution to global efforts to conserve biodiversity and sustainably use the natural environment, in the spirit of shared responsibility for our planet.

Thank you for your attention."