Honorable Ministers,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

It is a profound honor to address you here in Athens, a city that has shaped the foundations of philosophy, democracy and the arts and whose enduring heritage continues to illuminate the collective journey of humankind. It is especially meaningful to gather here, near the Acropolis, a timeless source of inspiration, as we work to safeguard the millennia-old heritage of our ancestors.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Greece for its warm hospitality and outstanding organization of this Ministerial Meeting. The relationships between Armenia and Greece are marked by profound friendship shaped by millennia of shared history, common values and unwavering solidarity. Our partnership is reflected in the progressively expanding dialogue between our governments which today covers a broad range of areas. Among them culture continues to hold an important place. Over the past year the reciprocal visits of our Ministers of Culture and the signed documents have brought much-expected renewed energy to this sphere. A particularly significant development has been the signing of the agreement aimed at jointly combating illegal excavations and the unlawful import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property. This step not only reinforces our determination to protect cultural heritage but also marks an important achievement in cultural cooperation between Armenia and Greece.

Distinguished colleagues,

Since joining the Ancient Civilizations Forum, Armenia has fully aligned itself with its core values and goals of promoting a culture of peace and non-violence and advancing intercultural dialogue. We regard the Forum as a vital mechanism for strengthening cooperation among nations, deepening mutual understanding and fostering tolerance and respect across societies.

Last year, Armenia had the privilege of chairing the Forum and hosting the Ministerial Meeting. The Yerevan Declaration, adopted in December 2024, reaffirmed the Forum’s relevance by highlighting the pressing challenges facing cultural heritage and underscoring its pivotal role in addressing these concerns. The Declaration also identified measures to enhance the Forum’s institutional capacity and visibility. Together these steps represented an important contribution to global efforts to safeguard cultural heritage and to promote more coordinated responses to emerging threats.

In this spirit, we welcome the Forum’s first joint statements and initiatives within the UN General Assembly and UNESCO. These collective actions reflect growing cohesion and a shared commitment to shaping global discussions. We encourage the establishment of Groups of Friends in relevant organizations, as unified and consistent engagement across multilateral platforms will allow the Forum to advance its priorities with greater clarity and impact.

We also commend the Greek Presidency for convening the Experts’ Meeting in Athens this October, which addressed two urgent priorities: combating the illicit trafficking of cultural goods and responding to the effects of climate change on cultural heritage. We strongly support the continuation of this format under the next Presidency. Armenia stands ready to contribute its expertise and best practices to help advance these exchanges.

Honorable colleagues,

In a rapidly evolving world, the Ancient Civilizations Forum, by its composition, geographic coverage and purpose, stands as a unique format for addressing the challenges of our time. For Armenia, where the culture of peace, intercultural dialogue and cultural heritage protection are foreign policy priorities, this Forum holds particular significance, especially in confronting the destruction, desecration, appropriation and denial of cultural heritage.

In this context I would like to divert briefly by saying that in general the great Homer is correct in saying that “life is largely a matter of expectation,” but we all will agree that it is not enough to implement policies. Here it is that another great Greek - Aristotle as usual has something practical for us, by adding that "the purpose of knowledge is action, not knowledge"- «Τέλος της γνώσης η πράξις, ου γνώσις».

Armenia places special emphasis on the full implementation of international legal instruments aimed at preventing such violations, including the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. As a practical contribution, we advocate the integration of new and emerging technologies into cultural heritage protection policies. Following the successful international meeting Armenia hosted in October 2024 in partnership with UNESCO, we initiated a resolution on this subject which was unanimously adopted two weeks ago by the High Contracting Parties to the 1954 Hague Convention. Armenia aims to build on this momentum and further promote this agenda in international fora and looks forward to the support of ACF partner countries.

Armenia also contributes actively to safeguarding cultural heritage affected by conflicts. Notable examples include support for the restoration of documentary heritage under UNESCO’s flagship initiative “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” and our financial contribution to Blue Shield International for projects in Lebanon. At the same time, we are deepening cooperation with UNESCO and other specialized agencies to address the urgent needs of refugee communities in Armenia in preserving their intangible cultural heritage: dialects, oral traditions, performing arts, rituals and traditional craftsmanship.

Recently Armenia was elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. We thank all the members of the Forum for their support of Armenia’s candidacy. As a member of the Committee Armenia stands ready to cooperate with the Forum members to jointly advance and protect the cultural and natural heritage of our ancient civilizations.

Distinguished colleagues,

We support the provisions of the Draft Athens Declaration, which addresses critical issues and represents an important step forward in advancing the Forum’s agenda. We particularly welcome its focus on protecting cultural heritage from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather. This issue is highly relevant for us, as Armenia will host the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity next October. As COP17 incoming Presidency, we will place strong emphasis on biocultural diversity and heritage protection, ensuring that biodiversity policy fully recognizes the cultural dimensions of conservation.

Finally, we warmly welcome the participation of India and Cyprus in today’s meeting. We are confident that their potential future membership would further strengthen the Forum and enrich its collective voice. Armenia reaffirms its commitment to working closely with all partners of the Ancient Civilizations Forum to promote and protect the shared heritage of humanity.

Thank you.