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

President Serzh Sargsyan held today a consultation with the Gegharkunik marzpet and the marzpetaran staff to discuss the socio-economic situation in Gegharkunik for 2014 and for the first half-year of 2015, as well as to discuss the current problems and development programs.

“Today I have asked to get prepared more comprehensively for the discussion on the socio-economic situation in Gegharkunik Marz so that we are able to jointly understand how the problems we deal with almost every day contribute to the overall development of the marz: in which direction do we have to try hard, in which direction have we achieved some results, so that we can jointly define priorities. Of course, I would like us to discuss also the programs which have just started or are expected to be implemented. By this I first of all refer to the programs related to Lake Sevan and to the great deal of work related to greenhouse construction in the marz that we should carry out together. I have said many times before and I would like to repeat now that indeed, we have to return the favor to Sevan and we must do it, but it would be correct if that favor includes a certain, so to speak, economic component in order to deal with those issues in the future not merely through resources of the state budget. I think that the fish-breeding program, which we started two years ago, is a program with huge development potential. Of course, I would like us to sum up certain results with regard to the great amounts that we spend in many marzes, including Gegharkunik, for pasture irrigation, seed corns provided by the state at a much lower price than the market price, fertilizers and diesel. Let us see whether we have made progress or we just maintain a certain state through those amounts. Do we have an increase in arable land and crop yields? I would like to see the modernization level of agricultural vehicles park because here we have made great efforts as well, and of course, any marz’s development, including that of Gegharkunik, will not be complete without addressing healthcare and education issues,” said President Serzh Sargsyan.

Marzpet Rafik Grigoryan presented the current situation in the marz per separate sectors - agriculture, industry, healthcare and social security, nature protection, construction, road construction, infrastructures and transport, urban development and public utilities, education, culture, sports etc., talked about the implemented and ongoing programs, as well as touched upon the marz problems and priorities.

Prior to the final report, the marzpet dwelled on a few programs being implemented in Gegharkunik, e.g. the fish-breeding program, with regard to which Armenia’s president stressed that it is not only the issue of fish stock that it tries to address. “It is not just about addressing the issue of fish stocks. It is also about issues of restoring the ecological balance. We must clean the rivers flowing into Sevan from the last 15-20 structures which perhaps produce some economic results but present an obstacle to normal development. I mean, for example, small-scale hydroelectric power stations built on fish spawning areas which regardless of their profitability, are, in my opinion, harmful for Sevan. The issue must be addressed through talking to people, making an arrangement with them, buying back those stations via the fund and dismantling them,” stressed Armenia’s president.

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, with the aim of broadening public beaches to increase the marz’s recreational attractiveness, the Gegharkunik marzpet was instructed to take measures jointly with the RA nature protection minister to ensure the continued development of the successful initiative to create beaches on the territory of Sevan AP, presenting proposals to the RA government for approval based on discussions of possibilities to create new public beaches on the administrative territories of respective communities.

With the aim of increasing irrigable lands and ensuring stable water supply in a number of communities in the Martuni region, together with the RA MA State Committee of Water Economy explore the preliminary technical-economic data to build a water reservoir in the upper stream of Argich River, presenting proposals on the implementability of the program to the RA government.

Study the necessary areas to develop greenhouse construction in the marz, following the proposals of the necessary infrastructures and respective workforce during the inventorization and presenting the final results to the RA Ministry of agriculture.

With the aim of dealing with the issue of communal garbage collection and non-regulated use of landfills, the RA minister of territorial administration and emergency situations was instructed to discuss with the stakeholders in two-week period the opportunities to engage, together with the town of Sevan, the other Gegharkunik communities in the program “Solid Waste Management System in Kotak Marz, ”discuss with the RA finance minister the above-mentioned program’s implementability standards and the principles of signing of subsidiary loan agreements and present the discussion results to the RA government for approval.

With the aim of cleaning the underwater forest areas resulted from the heightening of Lake Sevan’s level and at the same time, with the aim of carrying out reforestation works, the RA nature protection minister was instructed to take active measures to carry out forest cleaning works, presenting respective proposals on their and the financing of reforestation works to the RA government.

With the aim of encouraging the agrifood recycling production in highly vulnerable border communities, the RA minsters of economy and finance were instructed to include Chambarak in the list of communities having tax privileges, initiating respective changes in Law HO-156-N on exempting the activities in village communities with lands which have become unusable as a result of fighting actions (entry into force 01.01.2015) and in the list of RA government decree 30-N (entry into force 15.01.2015).

With the aim of modernizing the marz healthcare system and improving its management, the RA healthcare minister was instructed to explore together with the marzpet the intermediate results of the modernization of Gegharkunik’s healthcare system, presenting clear proposals on further improvement of the marz healthcare system and the modernization of Martuni’s medical center to the RA government for approval.

The president gave instructions per separate communities on full renovation and construction of a number of educational, cultural, marz and other objects.

ATDF Director A. Kirakosyan 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, showing greater preference to local organizations and ensuring continuous quality control. Taking into account LSGB proposals, during the development of subsequent programs define the same priority for the issues of urgent renovation of communities’ educational institutions and primary schools.