Gayane Gbrielyan thanked the Chinese side for the invitation and noted the importance of such forums in terms of uniting around the implementation of joint goals and prospects for new cooperation.
The Deputy Minister expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for organizing the forum, as well as for the constant support and cooperation.
Gabrielyan noted that in 2019 The Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China, on cooperation in the field of nature protection was really an important step to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the field of environmental protection.
Gayane Gabrielyan noted that despite the Covid-19 epidemic and the war unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2020, the Armenian government continues to focus on issues of the climate and environmental agenda. the new and modernized decision " Nationally Determined Contributions" (NDC), "National Adaptation Program" (NAP) and the interdepartmental coordinating council on climate issues in order to ensure decision-making on the climate agenda at the level of the Deputy Prime Minister, the development and implementation of policies aimed at stimulating the green economy is a priority in the program.
The vision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia on green transition and climate change is based on the principles of green, sustainable and low-carbon development, ranging from large-scale reforestation to investments in renewable/green energy and energy efficiency. As noted in the strategic energy development program until 2040, Armenia's goal is to bring solar energy production to 15% by 2030, and zero-emission energy production to 54.
In the context of green rehabilitation, the Deputy Minister spoke about the "10 million Trees" initiative, emphasizing its importance in the fight against climate change, air pollution and land degradation. This initiative is in line with the commitments undertaken at the national level and will contribute to achieving the goals set by the Paris Agreement.
The Deputy Minister also touched upon the importance of the working economy, noting the steps that the Ministry plans to implement in this context. In particular, he noted the importance of the introduction in Armenia of the extended Producer Responsibility System (EPR), in accordance with EU directives, as well as the gradual reduction of polyethylene products in this context - in 2022- a ban on the sale of plastic bags with a thickness of 50 microns.
Gayane Gabrielyan also touched upon electric vehicles, noting that they have certain environmental advantages in relation to conventional vehicles powered by fossil fuels.
As a result of the legal regulations undertaken by the Ministry of SS, a favorable environment has been created in the republic to encourage the purchase and use of vehicles powered by electric motors. The Deputy Minister stressed that the benefits of the value added tax on cars with an electric motor will be extended for another two years until 2024. Referring to statistical data, he noted that in 2019-2021, more than 5,200 cars with electric engines were imported, while in 2018 only 12 electric vehicles were imported:
Summing up the above and taking into account the global environmental challenges and their irreversible impact on the climate, the Deputy Minister noted the importance of green innovations, low-carbon development, as well as investments in the green economy, as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation.