The President of the Republic, Vahagn Khachaturyan, gave a speech at the 28th Forum of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“I want to congratulate the President of the United Arab Emirates, N.V. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the UAE Government for the excellent organization of COP28. Climate change remains a major global issue, and the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change sessions remind us of the need for a holistic approach for a greener, more sustainable, peaceful, and healthier future.
In 2015, we took a historic step by adopting the Paris Agreement. However, as indicated in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, we must meet the benchmarks for the Paris goals. There are many reasons for this, including the continued dependence of economies on fossil fuels.
We cannot continue to move forward on a path of excessive and unsustainable exploitation of hydrocarbons for energy production. A gradual reduction in fossil fuel demand is imperative. To meet our climate change mitigation ambitions, we need to build energy systems that are more carbon-neutral and less dependent on fossil fuels.
The necessary solutions are available. We need to accelerate the science and build on the positive developments of the past decade by doubling and tripling the use of renewable energy sources. We need adequate climate finance, with the Loss and Damage Fund being the cornerstone.
Dear attendees, as a developing mountainous country, Armenia faces many challenges in this field. According to the forecasts of the World Bank, the level of climate warming in Armenia may be significantly higher than the average level of global warming until the 2090s. It was reaching up to 4.7°. This places Armenia among the most vulnerable countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Mr. President, despite serious humanitarian challenges and external security threats, Armenia is taking proactive measures to fulfill the promises of the Paris Agreement, applying both traditional and innovative solutions that include all levels of society.
In 2021, Armenia announced its post-2020 climate commitments, actions defined at the national level, which implies that by 2030, it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. We recently developed Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) that will lead us to carbon neutrality. Our climate ambitions are primarily anchored in the transition to carbon-neutral energy.
By 2030, we aim to achieve a 15% share of solar energy in our total energy production. Armenia firmly believes that the fulfillment of our climate obligations can be achieved through the long-term and sustainable use of nuclear energy as a carbon-neutral energy source, and we highly appreciate the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency in this direction.
Armenia is determined to achieve its ambitious goals and ensure a clean and sustainable future for the next generation. We are ready to further contribute to global efforts for this purpose.”
