Minister of Environment Hakob Simidyan met Nicholas Rallo, director of the European and North Atlantic Region Office of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister Tigran Gabrielyan, Director of Zvartnots Aerometeorological Center of the Ministry of Environment CJSC Tatul Hayrapetyan, Deputy Chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee, Simon Asatryan, and Zhenya Ter-Vardanyan, responsible for flight safety of the committee.
The Minister presented brief information on the reforms and investments made by the Zvartnots Aerometeorological Center closed joint stock company of the Ministry of Environment during the last four years.
Nicholas Ralloi expressed his satisfaction with the quality of the performed works.
Both sides emphasized the necessity of implementing measures aimed at continuous improvement of the quality of aero-meteorological services provided by the Company, cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization Europe and North Atlantic Region office and other international structures in the field of civil aviation.
The minister presented the works aimed at reducing greenhouse gases and emissions, including aviation emissions, within the framework of climate change.
In that context, Nicolas Rallo, Director of the Office of the International Civil Aviation Organization for Europe and the North Atlantic Region, presented a number of important decisions taken at the General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization held in Montreal in 2022, in particular the issue of having "Sustainable Aviation Fuel" and presented the ICAO ACT-SAF ( ICAO Assistance, Capacity-building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels) program.
Turning to the issue of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, Nicholas Rallo noted that ICAO member countries, including Armenia, have undertaken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere by 2030, and to reduce them to 0 by 2050. This can be achieved by producing "Sustainable jet fuel" such as synthetic fuel, biofuel. This initiative will not only contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, but will also promote the development of the economy of the given country. Every member country, including Armenia, can join the ICAO ACT-SAF program free of charge. The ICAO ACT-SAF program will provide opportunities for member states to develop their full potential in the direction of producing synthetic fuel, biofuel.
  The minister welcomed the idea of joining the ICAO ACT-SAF program and noted that the Republic of Armenia is ready to join that program and give a boost to the idea of producing "Sustainable aviation fuel".
 Nicholas Rallo also visited the "Zvartnots" aero-meteorological center of the Ministry of Environment, got acquainted with the performed works and followed the process of weather observations and forecasts by specialists. Then, the further process of developing the Center's capabilities was discussed with the Center's management.