Armenia interested in expanding cooperation in tourism industry with  African nations 

ArmInfo.  At a meeting with Ethiopian Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa, Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan noted the country's interest in expanding cooperation with African countries in the fields of tourism and hospitality.

As reported by the press service of the Armenian Ministry of Economy,  in this regard, the parties discussed the prospects for exchanging  experience and implementing joint initiatives. In particular, Papoyan  and Kassa emphasized the importance of cooperation in the fields of  cultural tourism, preserving natural heritage and stimulating tourist  flows.

As part of his visit to the capital of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Papoyan  also took part in the closing session of the 2nd UN Food Systems  Summit. During the session, the minister delivered a speech touching  upon the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on  Biodiversity (COP 17), which will be held in Yerevan in 2026. In this  vein, the Minister of Economy emphasized the key role of biodiversity  in ensuring sustainable development of agriculture and food security,  emphasizing that cooperation in this area should be deepened for the  benefit of regional and global stability.

Papoyan invited the summit participants to visit Armenia and take  part in the COP17 conference, as well as personally get acquainted  with the country's thousand-year-old culture and multilateral  development potential.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity is one of three key  international environmental conventions aimed at regulating the  efforts of the international community to ensure environmental  sustainability, protect biological diversity, restore ecosystems and  sustainably use natural resources. The Conferences of the Parties to  the Convention are among the largest global environmental events that  take place every two years and during which participating countries  develop mechanisms for the implementation of the provisions of the  Convention and adopt new commitments to strengthen the protection of  natural resources.