President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan delivered a speech at the 28th Conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to congratulate the President of the United Arab Emirates H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Government of the UAE on excellent organization of the COP28.

Climate change remains a topping global issue and the COP sessions remind us of the need to take a holistic approach to it for a greener, more sustainable, peaceful and healthier future.

In 2015, we made a historic step by adopting the Paris Agreement. However, as the latest report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights, we are way off track from pathways for keeping its goals. The reasons for this are numerous, including with the continued reliance on fossil fuel-based economies at its core.

It is clear that we cannot continue down the path of excessive and unsustainable exploitation of hydrocarbons for energy production. Phasing down the demand for supply of fossil fuels is an imperative. We need to build energy systems, which are more carbon neutral and less fossil fuel reliant to meet our ambitions for climate change mitigation. The solutions are there. We need to accelerate science and build on the positive developments of the last decade by doubling and tripling the use of renewable energy sources. For that end, we need sufficient climate financing, with the Loss and Damage fund being its cornerstone.

Dear attendees,

As a mountainous developing country, Armenia is facing many challenges in this area. World Bank’s projections for Armenia indicate warming at levels significantly above the global average, of up to 4.7° degrees by the 2090s, under the highest emissions pathway. This places Armenia among the most vulnerable countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Mr. President,

Despite the serious humanitarian challenges and external security threats, Armenia takes proactive measures to fulfil our Paris Agreement promises, employing both conventional and innovative solutions that involve all segments of the society.

In 2021, Armenia declared its post-2020 climate actions, an NDC with a 40% greenhouse reduction target by 2030. Recently, we developed long-term low-emission development strategies (LT-LEDS) to guide us towards carbon neutrality. Our climate ambitions are largely anchored in the carbon-neutral energy transition. By 2030, we aim for a 15% share of solar energy in our total energy production. Armenia firmly believes that the attainment of our climate commitments can be achieved with long-term and sustainable use of nuclear power as a carbon-neutral source of energy and we appreciate the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency in this regard.

Armenia is determined to achieving its ambitious targets and securing a clean and sustainable future for the next generation. We stand ready to further contribute to global efforts to this end.

Thank you.