Ardshinbank Joins the Initiative to Create the Charles Aznavour Named Forest

ArmInfo. Ardshinbank, continuing its cooperation with the “My Forest Armenia” environmental NGO, has allocated 4 million AMD to finance the creation of the Charles Aznavour Named Forest.

The initiative is dedicated to the birthday of the world-renowned Armenian and aims to pay tribute to his rich legacy while contributing to biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and the sustainable development of communities in Armenia. The forest area is located near the village of Dzorashen in Shirak Region.

According to Lusine Nersisyan, Member of the Board and Risk Management Director at Ardshinbank, environmental initiatives are one of the key directions of the bank’s corporate social responsibility strategy:

“As one of the largest banks in Armenia, Ardshinbank places great importance on raising awareness about social responsibility and actively participating in it. We want everyone to join us in recognizing this issue — it is about responsibility and creating a healthier environment for future generations.”

On May 9, employees of Ardshinbank took part in the tree-planting event, making their personal contribution to bringing the initiative to life. During the event, 300 pine trees were planted. With Ardshinbank’s financing, a total of around 5,000 trees are planned to be planted across 1 hectare of land.

The project is also unique due to its conceptual component: solar-powered musical columns will be installed in the forest, playing Charles Aznavour’s compositions and creating a special atmosphere for visitors.

Ardshinbank is also continuing to develop its own named forest program in cooperation with the “My Forest Armenia” NGO. As part of the program launched in 2024, more than 20,000 trees have already been planted in Lori Region across approximately 6 hectares, along with additional plantings in Gegharkunik Region. In the long term, the program aims to sequester around 2,000 tons of CO₂ over the next 30 years through the planted trees, contributing to the expansion of Armenia’s forest fund.

“These initiatives are particularly important given that Armenia’s forest cover is only about 10%, which is significantly lower than the indicators of our neighboring countries,” noted Lusine Nersisyan.

In recent years, the “My Forest Armenia” organization has carried out planting and forest restoration work for more than 2.3 million trees across approximately 750 hectares, while also supporting the development of local communities.

At Ardshinbank, sustainable development is considered one of the core directions of its strategy, and the bank will continue to implement long-term programs aimed at environmental protection and community development.