President holds consultation to discuss socio-economic situation and marz priorities of Kotayk

President Serzh Sargsyan held today a consultation with the Kotayk marzpet and marzpetaran staff to discuss the socio-economic situation of Kotayk Marz for 2014 and for the January-September of 2015 and the present problems, as well as to touch upon the marz priorities and development programs.

“When discussing Kotayk Marz’s socio-economic development problems, we must expect much better results, considering at least a few circumstances. The first is that Kotayk Marz has good industrial traditions. Abovyan, Hrazdan and Charentsavan housed a great number of enterprises that served the USSR military industrial complex. For known reasons those enterprises could not continue their activities, but now we have the chance to re-put them into operation, of course, not to produce the previous production, but to produce modern and competitive goods which are enlisted by the Ministry of Economy, and it is compulsory to make an inventory of those production area where we can create new opportunities for new production. Indeed, this is a great opportunity for the marz development.

The second circumstance is that Kotayk Marz has great nature and people who have long experience of working with land. Nature is wonderful but climatic conditions are no so conducive for agriculture. Hence, we must develop ultra-modern agriculture in marz which ensures almost 100 percent crop yield. By this I mean modern greenhouses- great greenhouses - and also net-covered garden with drip irrigation. It is exactly that fact that has prompted my frequent visits to Kotayk Marz in recent years. We have been in different greenhouses, gardens, and it is obvious that we must do everything to encourage that process. To be honest, I am satisfied with Kotayk Marz’s locomotive role in this field. With its water resources and beautiful sights, the marz’s wonderful nature provides a huge opportunity to develop both tourism and the resorts business. Tsaghkadzor, Aghveran, Hankavan, Arzni and Bjni allow us to develop this sphere.

There are multiple historical and cultural monuments in Kotayk Marz, and they act as a magnet for tourists. However, we must deal with at least three issues: the first is infrastructures, including good reads; secondly, we must learn to manage garbage disposal and landfills in modern way; and thirdly, we must have qualified service personnel. Even if the historical and cultural monument is among the best and has huge value, but the road leading to that monument is destroyed, there is garbage everywhere on the right and left sides of the road, and the tour guide lacks the necessary qualification, then the tourist will no longer want to visit that place second time. Of course, the state is obliged to invest resources, and it is impossible to develop infrastructures and carry out road construction without state involvement. The state invests money, constructs that road, but maintenance issues are assigned to marzpetarans. We also allot money for those maintenance issues which must be used effectively and with care. Perhaps, you know that the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations should inform you about two important programs. The first is the landfill management program and the second is the tourism development program which also includes the component to improve those infrastructures.

Of course, of great importance is the fact that the marz medical institutions have been saturated with modern medical equipment in recent times in recent times. I would like to know whether the medical personnel is fully recruited and to what extent it helped marz dwellers to get medical aid in the marz and not in Yerevan.

I would like to dwell on these issues today,” said President Serzh Sargsyan at the beginning of the consultation.

Marzpet Karapet Guloyan presented the finished and ongoing works being implemented in Kotayk Marz per separate spheres and approved programs, as well as the problems and priorities, noting that extensive works are being carried out in the marz in the areas of agriculture, urban development, infrastructures, greenhouse construction which bring their positive result.

Marzpet Guloyan assured the president that the marzpetaran will be consistent in dealing with the problems mentioned by the RA president and with other problems present in the marz, and will regularly report to the president on their course and results.

During the consultation, Ashot Kirakosyan, Executive Director of the Armenian Territorial Development Fund (ATDF), reported on the investments to be made in marz communities through the fund’s first component.

At the end of the consultation President Serzh Sargsyan gave a number of instructions. Particularly, the Kotayk marzpet and the agriculture minister were instructed to develop a list of continued measures and a timetable to raise the level of purposefully exploiting the marz’s arable lands, presenting proposals to the RA government for approval,

The Kotayk marzpet and the RA minister of healthcare were instructed to study the current stage of modernization of the marz healthcare system, taking continued measures to further improve the marz healthcare system, including the training of marz medical cadres and ensuring separate specialists.

With the aim of implementing new industrial development business programs in the marz, the Kotayk marzpet and the RA minister of economy were instructed to make an inventory of production and other areas corresponding to the current business requirements of the ministry, presenting the gathered results to the RA ministry of economy.

With the aim of fully renovating and constructing the marz’s educational, cultural and sports objects, as well as of developing infrastructures in separate vulnerable communities, the ATDF was instructed to initiate a process of developing design documents for the programs enlisted in the urgent program list presented during the report, as well as a process of competitive procurement of construction works.

With the aim of developing the marz’s tourism potential, the RA ministry of economy, the RA minister of culture and the ATDF executive director were instructed to include in the upcoming tourism development programs the targets of creating necessary infrastructures for Kotayk Marz’s historical and cultural sights and develop abilities to offer effective tourism services, embracing representatives from the ministry of territorial administration and emergency situations, local self-governing bodies and unions of tourism companies in the proposal drafting process.

With the aim of developing a program to cope with landslide zones, the minister of territorial administration and emergency situations was instructed to develop measures to conduct a complex geological investigation aimed at taking necessary measures and routine observations in the landslide zones of Voghjaberd, Hatsavan, Kanakeravan, Argel, Ptghni and Geghadir. And the RA minister of transport and communications was instructed to make proposals based on the results of complex geological studies aimed at fully restoring the landslide zones of H-3 and the Yerevan-Garni-Geghard highway and at their further unobstructed exploitation, presenting the mentioned results to the RA government for discussion to include the given works in the upcoming road construction programs.