A three-day workshop under the European Union's TAIEX expert mission on the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was held at the Ministry of Environment of the RA.
Organized with the participation of experts from the Czech Republic, the workshop aimed to support the effective implementation of CITES in Armenia, particularly in combating illegal wildlife trade, improving the management of confiscated specimens, and strengthening the legal framework.
Aram Meymaryan, Deputy Minister of Environment of the RA, delivered the opening remarks. Welcoming the participants, he noted that expert missions of this kind provide an important opportunity to apply international best practices in Armenia. He also emphasized that the workshop comes at a particularly important time, as Armenia will host the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in October 2026. The Deputy Minister thanked the European Union and the Czech partners for their effective cooperation and support in organizing the workshop, stressing that biodiversity conservation and the protection of endangered species require joint efforts.
Frank Hess, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Armenia, noted that every country, including Armenia, has an important role to play in preventing illegal international trade in endangered species and ensuring the effective implementation of CITES. He added that holding the workshop ahead of COP17 is particularly important for strengthening national capacities and enhancing international cooperation.
Tatevik Kirakosyan, National Coordinator of the CITES Convention, thanked the European Union, the TAIEX programme, and the Czech experts for their support and exchange of experience. She noted that the mission aims to strengthen the implementation mechanisms of CITES in Armenia and enhance cooperation among the responsible authorities.
The workshop brought together representatives of the Ministry of Environment of the RA, the Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body of the RA, the Customs Service of the State Revenue Committee of the RA, the Food Safety Inspection Body of the RA, Institute of Botany after A. Takhtajyan, Yerevan Zoo, and other relevant institutions.
Over the course of the three-day programme, participants discussed the national legal framework for CITES implementation, compliance and enforcement mechanisms, methods for detecting and investigating illegal wildlife trade, international best practices for the care and management of confiscated specimens, as well as public awareness and inter-agency cooperation.
As part of the programme, participants also visited Yerevan Zoo and the Institute of Botany After A. Takhtajyan, Armenia's CITES Scientific Authority, where they learned about ongoing efforts in endangered species conservation, scientific research, and the practical implementation of the Convention.