The opening ceremony of the "Cultural Crossroads" Yerevan International Conference, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Promotion and Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, took place at the M. Mashtots "Matenadaran" Scientific-Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts.

Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Zhanna Andreyasyan, Deputy Ministers Daniel Danielyan and Arthur Martirosyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan, delegations from over a dozen countries, and representatives from UNESCO and various international organizations attended the opening ceremony.

Welcoming the participants of the conference, Minister Zhanna Andreasyan emphasized in her speech that it is a great honor for our country to organize this significant international event. " Armenia places great importance on cooperation with UNESCO in all formats—not only by having Armenian cultural heritage included in UNESCO's tangible and intangible heritage lists and the 'Memory of the World' program, but also through participation in the List of Anniversaries. In this regard, I would like to particularly highlight the two important anniversary events held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris: in 2024, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Sergei Parajanov and in 2025, to the 100th anniversary of Charles Aznavour. In 2019, 2020, and 2023, Armenia submitted applications to have "Armenian Letter Arts and Its Cultural Expressions," "The Pilgrimage to the Saint Thaddeus Apostle Monastery," and 'The Blacksmithing Tradition of Gyumri' included on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. By the way, within the framework of our conference, the cancellation ceremony of the commemorative stamp 'The Blacksmithing Tradition of Gyumri' is planned. There are 7 nominations from Armenia on the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites,of which, two nominations, "The Urartian Heritage of Yerevan" and "The Archaeological Complex of Garni and the Symphony of Stones," were inscribed in 2025. The collection of works by Komitas Vardapet was submitted on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2023, and Mkhitar Gosh's 'Lawcode' ('Datastanagirk Hayots) in 2025."

In the context of UNESCO - Armenia cooperation, the Minister also pointed out that Armenia has been elected Vice-President of the Bureau for the Implementation of the Convention on the Promotion and Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and a member of the Convention's Committee for the 2025-2029 term.

"Our country is actively participating in the implementation of the provisions of the convention: we implement programs aimed at the advancement of creative industries and cultural enterprises, as well as incorporate international cooperation and inclusiveness into cultural life," the Minister said, in reference to the programs ensuring cultural inclusion.

The Minister also highlighted the historically established regional importance of cooperation with UNESCO, noting that the Republic of Armenia is a unique crossroads of north–south and east–west cultural, economic, and political routes: "Even today, we are sparing no effort to be a crossroads, not only due to our geographical location. A vivid proof of this is the RA Government's "Crossroads of Peace" program, which aims to establish peace in the region, develop friendly relations with our neighbors, based on the principles of state sovereignty, jurisdiction over infrastructure passing through their own territories, equality, and reciprocity. The "Crossroads of Peace" program is shaping a new regional mindset. This initiative has the full potential to evolve into a cultural crossroads. A crossroads where not only routes intersect, but also human connections and ideas, opening doors to a peaceful and sustainable future for our region and the world in general."

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mnatsakan Safaryan also delivered a welcoming speech and emphasized that the Convention is more than relevant today in a globalizing, digitalizing and challenging world, since the digital revolution and the rapid development of artificial intelligence are reshaping the ways in which cultural values are created, disseminated and consumed. In this regard, he also emphasized the importance of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Convention as a confirmation of the true significance of that document.

UNESCO Assistant Director-General Ernesto Ottone, also welcomed the attendees via video message. He highly appreciated Armenia's commitment as Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Implementation of the Convention on the Promotion and Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and a member of the Convention Committee for 2025-2029. He expressed hope that the conference will foster diverse cultural expressions to continue to inspire building a sustainable, creative future.

The opening ceremony was followed by a plenary session on the theme"UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity 2005: Achievements and Prospects of 20 Years", moderated by ESCS Deputy Minister Arthur Martirosyan.

Plenary discussions were also held on creative industries, diversity of cultural expression in the digital age, and other related topics.