3 minute read
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stressed the significance of Yerevan hosting COP17 following the end of the more than 30-year conflict with Azerbaijan.
“The domestic impact of the conflict on biodiversity is evident to us,” Pashinyan said at a discussion held as part of the Leaders’ Summit ahead of COP17 in Yerevan.
“This was followed by an energy crisis, which resulted in thousands of hectares of forests being cut down in Armenia, as well as poaching, which essentially brought fish stocks in Lake Sevan to the brink of depletion. Using our region as an example, I can say that the essentially unplanned and uncontrolled construction of defensive and fortification structures along borders creates major problems, including from the perspective of biodiversity. Where forests interfere with defense requirements, those forests are cut down; where other natural environments pose certain problems, those environments are altered. Conflict zones usually contain minefields, and many animals simply blow up on those mines. At some point, we find that certain animal species and parts of the natural environment have simply been destroyed,” Pashinyan said.
The Prime Minister emphasized that conflicts often rule out cooperation between countries on biodiversity issues, further amplifying the damage caused.
“Of course, peace and biodiversity are of great importance, both domestically and across borders. Environmental issues are part of the peace process, and after the peace agreement initialed with Azerbaijan is ratified, environmental issues will be addressed more extensively. We are already discussing which areas of environmental protection could be the basis for cooperation. We share rivers that originate in one country and continue through the territory of another. Biodiversity is something that connects countries, and there is great opportunity and potential for cooperation in this area,” the Prime Minister said.
Pashinyan added that Armenia also has no diplomatic relations with its other neighbor, Türkiye, but has considerable experience of cooperation in the environmental field.
“We have a very positive dialogue, and I am confident that we will achieve historic changes in this area as well in the near future. Armenia and Türkiye have experience of cooperation in water resource management. Environmental issues are common to neighboring countries,” Pashinyan said.