A delegation from the YSU Faculty of International Relations participated in a scientific and practical seminar in Guiyang, China, focusing on environmental protection and biological resource utilization policies and China's experience in these areas for partner countries of the Belt and Road initiative.
During the seminar, participants attended lectures by leading Chinese experts on biodiversity and pressing environmental challenges. Discussions centered on the concept of ecological civilization and landmark documents adopted at the UN Biodiversity Conferences COP15 and COP16. Following the theoretical sessions, participants made a study visit to Kunming, which officially hosted and presided over COP15, the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The knowledge and experience gained from the seminar will be highly valuable to interdisciplinary research at the YSU Chair of International Relations and Diplomacy, providing a basis for expanding the academic research on climate security launched last year.
During the visit, Zhak Manukyan, Head of the Chair of International Relations and Diplomacy, delivered a presentation on Armenia's active participation in addressing global biodiversity challenges. He focused particularly on Armenia's national priorities and strategy in connection with COP17, which will be held in Yerevan in October 2026.
Tigran Yepremyan, Dean of the YSU Faculty of International Relations, PhD in History and Associate Professor, addressed the official closing ceremony, highlighting the seminar's considerable practical and applied value. Thanking the Chinese partners for the exchange of experience, he expressed hope that the insights gained would be translated into impactful initiatives, further strengthening international academic cooperation.
Yepremyan and Manukyan also held an important working meeting with the Vice-President and Director of International Relations of the Guizhou Academy of Sciences. Recognizing the prospects for bilateral relations, the parties agreed to arrange a visit by the Chinese delegation to Yerevan State University in late August to sign a memorandum of cooperation.
