On May 27, within the framework of the "Yerevan Dialogue" international conference, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan participated and delivered an opening speech at the international meeting organized at the initiative of Armenia, dedicated to the implementation of the UNESCO Operational Strategy on Small Island Developing States.

In his speech, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan addressed the social, economic and environmental challenges that Small Island Developing States face due to their unfavorable geographical location and other vulnerabilities.

The Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of consolidating the efforts of the international community to support Small Island Developing States in ensuring their sustainable development and strengthening their resilience to climate change.

The Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that Armenia attaches importance to the issue of the needs of small island developing states on the international agenda, also emphasizing the platform of the Group of Friends of Small Island Developing States at UNESCO, where Armenia is a co-founder and co-chair.

As an important step towards raising international attention to Small Island Developing States, the decision proclaiming April 25 the International Day of Small Island Developing States adopted a month ago by the UNESCO Executive Board on the initiative of Armenia and co-authored by 130 countries was emphasized.

Opening speeches were also delivered by the UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia, Natia Natsvlishvili, as well as UNESCO Deputy Director-General Xin Qiu and the Chair of the UNESCO SIDS Group, Ambassador of the Cook Islands, Natalie Rossette-Cazel, in video message format.