On April 1, a meeting dedicated to the preparatory work for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in Yerevan from October 19 to 30, 2026, took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. Representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Armenia attended the meeting.

Opening remarks were delivered by the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia and President of COP17, Hambardzum Matevosyan, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Robert Abisoghomonyan. The participants were presented with the efforts undertaken and ongoing work in preparation for the Conference, as well as Armenia’s presidency priorities.

Deputy Foreign Minister Robert Abisoghomonyan presented details of the Leaders' Summit to be held on October 16 within the framework of COP17, emphasizing the importance of high-level political engagement in advancing biodiversity issues on the global agenda. He also highlighted Armenia’s commitment to organizing an inclusive Conference and contributing to the first global review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, as well as promoting international cooperation to ensure an adequate response to environmental challenges.

The opening remarks were followed by a Q&A session, during which details regarding both the substantive and organizational aspects of COP17 were presented.