Hambardzum Matevosyan, Minister of Environment of the RA, met with Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Minister of Climate and Environment of the Kingdom of Norway, in Oslo.
During the meeting, the parties discussed priority issues in the field of environmental protection and possible approaches to addressing them, also referring to Norway’s experience in the management and prevention of natural disasters, in particular floods.
The parties exchanged views on the preparatory work for the COP17, expectations, and the experience of previous conferences. They emphasized the importance of clearly defining priority issues to be raised at the leadership level in order to ensure more effective outcomes.
They also discussed the Global Review process and the role of the Leaders’ Summit in shaping the COP17 agenda.
Hambardzum Matevosyan highlighted the importance of inclusiveness, ensuring the participation of all stakeholders, including vulnerable groups, indigenous peoples, women and youth.
The discussion also covered policies aimed at limiting single-use plastics, as well as the use of digitalization tools to enhance the identification and management of environmental challenges.
The parties explored opportunities for cooperation in international carbon markets within the framework of Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. The Norwegian side presented the Norwegian Global Emissions Reduction (NOGER) initiative as a government-to-government cooperation mechanism aimed at reducing additional emissions, supporting the green transition, and fostering high-integrity international cooperation.
Hambardzum Matevosyan welcomed Norway’s leading role within the framework of Article 6.2 and emphasized the importance of exploring opportunities for Armenia–Norway cooperation, particularly within the NOGER initiative. He noted that such cooperation could begin with strengthening technical readiness, conducting sectoral analyses and methodological work, and later expand to the implementation of pilot projects, particularly in the industrial sector.
He emphasized that this cooperation would contribute to the implementation of Armenia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), strengthen institutional capacity for participation in Article 6 mechanisms, and create new opportunities for climate finance and attracting low-carbon investments.
The Norwegian side expressed its readiness to support Armenia in international negotiation processes.
The parties also discussed prospects for cooperation between Armenia, the Colombian Presidency, and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.