On February 20-21, in Bangkok, the delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia Vahan Kostanyan participated in the 11th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD).

During the opening ceremony of the Forum, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan was elected the Vice-President of the Forum.

On the same day, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered remarks at the high-level panel discussion under the theme: “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: The effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions in Asia and the Pacific”.

In his remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan presented the challenges encountered by Armenia during recent years, amid the situation in the region, the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh and the instability of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, which created additional issues on the way to the realization of sustainable development goals by the Republic of Armenia.

Touching upon the challenges faced by the Republic of Armenia in the context of climate change, Deputy Minister Kostanyan highlighted the importance of the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, as well as the use of effective financial mechanisms in combating climate change in support of developing countries' fight against climate change.

Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan also chaired the Forum's session dedicated to the Summit of the Future, during which the Pact for the Future to be adopted as a result of the Summit was touched upon.

On the sidelines of the forum, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs had meetings with Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Felipe Paullier, the United Nations’ Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, and  Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.