Armenian President delivers speech at COP 27 conference, touches upon destructive impact of war on environment

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. On November 7, President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan delivered a speech at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Sharm El Sheikh, the Presidential Office said.

The President noted that combating climate change is a critical component of the global agenda, which requires a shared commitment of everyone.

“Climate change evolves faster than expected. The entire mankind not only witnesses this change, but is also affected by it. Ecosystems are at risk, water resources are running dry, floods, storms, forest fires, extreme heat and drought become more frequent,”noted the President.

Touching on the impact of conflicts on the environment, the President said:“We all are well aware of a destructive power of conflicts on environment - its resources and productivity.

Impacts of war on ecosystems vary, depending on the magnitude and duration of a conflict, as well as the types of weapons used.

Regretfully, recently Armenia experienced such a challenge. On September 13 this year Azerbaijan initiated an aggression, targeting the sovereign territory of Armenia. Densely populated towns of the eastern and south-eastern regions of Armenia, including city of Jermuk, a well-known mountain spa town and popular destination for medical tourism, came under heavy fire. The hostilities with the use of a wide range of weaponry, including artillery and combat UAVs against the settlements were accompanied by causing a heavy damage to the unique environmental complex. The shelling of the Kechut water reservoir had a potentially catastrophic human toll and environmental impact.”

President Vahagn Khachaturyan highlighted that despite the existing challenges and security concerns in Armenia, the climate change agenda continues to remain priority for the Government.

“Particularly, climate resilience and low-carbon development are recognized as a primary goal, which is based on the sustainable and long-term climate change adaptation strategy, investments in large-scale afforestation, renewable energy and energy-efficient sectors, application of innovative and modern climate technologies, promotion of electric mobility and development of nuclear energy,”noted the President.