President Vahagn Khachaturyan delivered a speech at the UN Regional Ecological Summit

President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturyan delivered a speech at the UN Regional Ecological Summit held in Astana.

“I express my sincere gratitude to the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as well as to the Government and the people of Kazakhstan for their traditional warm hospitality and the excellent organization of this important event.

Armenia highly appreciates Kazakhstan’s efforts to advance international cooperation in addressing climate change and environmental degradation in the region and beyond. This forum plays an important role as a platform for dialogue, bringing together governments, scientific community and civil society to address the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation.

As a landlocked developing and mountainous country, Armenia is already facing serious impacts of climate change, while our contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is only about 0.02%. Over the past decades, the average temperature in the country has increased by more than 1 degree Celsius and is projected to continue rising by mid-century. Climate change has led to more extreme weather events, such as floods and heatwaves, causing significant economic losses and threatening livelihoods.

Declining precipitation and glacier retreat are contributing to a scarcity of water resources. Access to freshwater is under increasing pressure, in particular in rural communities. Water scarcity threatens the fragile mountainous ecosystems, affects agriculture and the overall well-being of our population.

In this context, we welcome Kazakhstan’s initiative to hold consultations with international partners on strengthening cooperation for the effective management of water resources. Armenia will actively participate in these consultations.

Armenia demonstrates a strong sense of responsibility and commitment to contribute to global climate action. We have set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 44% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels through domestic efforts, and up to 52% with international support.

Armenia undertakes these commitments with full awareness of its national capacities and the importance of international cooperation in advancing climate change mitigation and adaptation, guided by the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.

Temperature rise is among the drivers of biodiversity loss, affecting unique ecosystems and endemic species worldwide with profound impacts on human health, food security and economy. It is therefore crucial to scale up global efforts on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. This year, Armenia will host the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This reflects our small country’s strong commitment to promote global nature conservation efforts. Armenia looks forward to welcoming you all at Biodiversity COP17 in Yerevan this October to review our progress and identify ways to accelerate efforts to restore and protect the environment for present and future generations.

International cooperation, mobilization of financial resources, sharing of expertise and technology remain essential to address interlinked ecological problems, strengthen climate resilience, support sustainable agriculture and food security and promote efficient water management.

Armenia stands ready to cooperate with its regional and international partners, share our experience and to learn from others. Together, we can protect our planet Earth, ensure long-term resilience and well-being for our societies.”