On December 12, in Athens, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Davit Karapetyan participated in and delivered remarks at the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Ancient Civilizations Forum. The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Greece, was attended by delegations from Bolivia, Egypt, Italy, Iran, Iraq, China, and Peru. Mexico, Cyprus and India participated as observers.
In his remarks, Secretary General Davit Karapetyan highly appreciated the Ancient Civilizations Forum as an important platform for promoting a culture of peace, advancing intercultural dialogue and combating the destruction, desecration and appropriation of cultural heritage.The importance of the 8th Ministerial Meeting held in Yerevan last year, as well as the adopted Yerevan Declaration, was underscored in terms of highlighting key challenges in the aforementioned areas and enhancing the visibility of the Forum.
Davit Karapetyan welcomed the joint initiatives undertaken by Forum participants in 2025 and encouraged the formation of Friends groups of the Forum within international organizations, as well as the implementation of joint initiatives.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also emphasized the efforts undertaken by the Republic of Armenia to strengthen the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, highlighting as an example the adoption on December 1 of this year at UNESCO of a resolution initiated by Armenia on the application of new and emerging technologies for the protection of cultural heritage.
Davit Karapetyan welcomed the first participation of India and Cyprus in the Forum’s Ministerial Meeting, expressing confidence that their membership will contribute to strengthening the Forum.
As a result of the Ministerial Meeting, the Athens Declaration was adopted, enshrining important provisions on the preservation and protection of cultural heritage. The Declaration confirmed Cyprus’s membership in the Forum and welcomed India’s intention regarding future membership. Italy assumed the presidency of the Forum.
