All 196 member states will be invited to participate in the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Armenia’s Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan said at a press conference.
He noted that the inviting party is not only Armenia, but also the United Nations.
Armenia will host and chair COP17 in 2026. He noted that the presidency and coordination of processes will continue until 2028 inclusive. "This gives us the opportunity to be considered a key center of global political development within the framework of the convention,” Matevosyan said.
In this context, more than 20 related events and panel discussions were organized and held in Armenia and other countries last year. In 2025, ahead of COP17, memoranda on bilateral cooperation were signed with a number of states. “Support has been received from the Federal Republic of Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, South Africa, Togo and Switzerland, as well as from numerous international organizations, to strengthen the presidency’s capacities,” the minister said.
Addressing a question on whether all countries, including Azerbaijan, have confirmed their participation, Matevosyan recalled that COP17 has 196 member states.
“The inviting party is not only Armenia. Armenia is hosting and presiding over the event. This is a global event, and the invitations are issued jointly by Armenia as the chair and the United Nations,” he said, adding that no official invitations have yet been sent, but that they will be sent in the near future.
“This is both our event and a global event. We invite everyone — all 196 countries. One of the key principles of the conference is joint work on environmental issues. No country should be left out of this process, especially as we are ready to host all delegations and all countries,” he emphasized.
