Armenia President Vahagn Khachaturyan is in Egypt to attend the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) that kicks off today in Sharm el-Sheikh.

More than ninety heads of state and representatives of 190 countries expected to attend. Khachaturyan is scheduled to address the conference that has been held annually since the first UN climate agreement in 1992.

Khachaturyan’s office reports he gave an interview with the Egyptian Middle East News Agency in which he said climate change adaptation policies and measures are crucial for Armenia’s capacity to reach its social and economic development goals.

The Armenian president is quoted as saying the Pashinyan administration wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Khachaturyan said military clashes and hostilities have a direct impact on soil and air pollution and affect agricultural pastures, green areas and forests. The clearest   example of this are the large-scale forest fires caused by military operations and increased soil and air pollution from shell explosions.