On December 14, the Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC) was held in Yerevan.

The meeting commenced with an opening Session on the “Role of transport connectivity in promoting sustainable and resilient development, in which remarks were delivered by Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, as well as Rabab Fatima, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) and Lemogang Kwape, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Botswana and Global Chair of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries.

Following the opening session, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan chaired the Session of the Ministerial Meeting, delivering opening remarks and speech in his national capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Session was held on the strategic importance of transport connectivity in the context of the next programme of action for the LLDCs. During the Session, 19 representatives delivered remarks, including from 13 countries and 6 international organizations.

One of the key topics of the meeting was the "Crossroads of Peace" project, which is one of the fundamental components of Armenia's agenda to establish stability and peace in the South Caucasus. In their remarks, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia emphasized that it is aimed to connect the East to the West, the North to the South, strengthening economic and cultural ties and promoting political dialogue via people-to-people contacts, achieving comprehensive and lasting peace in the region for the benefit of all peoples. During the panel discussions, participants discussed the role of transport connectivity in the sustainable development of landlocked developing countries, deepening regional integration through inclusive transport connectivity, and the transformation of global trade and connectivity through digital technologies.

The Ministerial meeting was organized ahead of the 3rd Conference of the Landlocked Developing Countries, which will be held in July 2024 in Kigali. In general, this Ministerial meeting, which is one of the largest events ever organized in Armenia jointly with the United Nations, is attended by more than 30 foreign delegations, including representatives of developing and transit countries, landlocked, including regional and neighboring countries.