President invited a meeting to discuss the socio-economic situation and priorities of Ararat marz

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan held a meeting with the participation of the governor of Ararat marz and senior administration of the region to discuss the socio-economic situation for the year 2014 and the period between January and September 2015, exciting problems, priorities, as well as programs aimed at the development of the region.

“During this meeting, dedicated to the social and economic development of Ararat marz, I expect us to discuss not only the problems and existing difficulties conditioned by the abundant harvest and complications on the markets, where our processing companies sell their products, but also avenues to address them; in this context I would like us to speak of the measures we will be taking next year, since the mentioned complications are not going to disappear overnight. We will also speak in detail about the industrial development of Ararat marz, particularly because in recent years the industrial development of Ararat marz has been advancing with a rather impressive speed. I would certainly like us to talk in detail about issues related to the region’s agricultural development. Ararat marz is well known for its good agricultural practices, great traditions in fruit production. However regardless of the results presented by you, I am confident that in this sector too we need to switch to the intensive agriculture and implementation of contemporary methods. This is not only in line with the general tendencies but is conditioned by certain peculiarities. There are many plots of land in Ararat marz which are not suitable for common cultivation; however our experience shows that they can become very suitable areas for the construction of modern greenhouses and for carrying out intensive agriculture.
It is very important to discuss the course of implementation of these programs since they are aimed at the resolution of structural problems existing in the region. I mean, for instance, the construction of a water-storage basin. It is a major program. As you remember, I spoke about this project 4-5 years ago, and the residents of the marz told me that back in Soviet times they had been dreaming of such a water reservoir. There is no doubt that a huge amount of work has already been done, and your task is to fully deliver on the responsibilities which the regional administration was assigned with for the construction of the reservoir. There must be no delays, because we have entered a stage when the commencement of the construction is contingent upon our decision. The waster-storage basin in Vedi will be the second, after the Marmarik reservoir, built in independent Armenia and will allow to spare waters of Sevan. It is a significant project because it will allow to irrigate huge territories.
I would like to assure once again that we will continue to improve services provided to the population in the regions - first of all, health care related serviced. As you know, next year the hospital in Artashat will be fully renovated; it will be the second modern health care facility in the region. Proper attention must also be paid to the problems of garbage disposal in the regions,” President Serzh Sargsyan said at the beginning of the meeting.

Governor Rubik Abrahamian presented works carried out in the marz in different areas in the mentioned period of time, spoke about achievements, pressing issues and programs of development. Present at the meeting was also the Executive Director of the Armenian Territorial Development Fund (ATDF) Ashot Kirakossian, who reported on the investments that the Fund will make mostly in the social infrastructure of the region.

At the conclusion of the meeting, President Serzh Sargsyan gave instructions, in particular, to ensure the expansion of the irrigable lands and provide for steady water supply, to cut back on the use of Sevan waters for irrigation; the governor of Ararat marz was instructed to provide comprehensive assistance to the State Committee on Water Resources of the RA Ministry of Agriculture in its implementation of the large-scale projects aimed at the development of the irrigation systems of the region, particularly, to the 2016 works related to the construction of the Vedi reservoir and preliminary works on the modernization of the irrigation systems. At same time the governor was instructed to ensure proper oversight to rule out new land allocations and illegal use of land on the territory of these hydro-technical structures.
In order to ensure a more efficient use of the agricultural lands, the Minister of Agriculture was instructed to discuss with the Minister of Economy the implementation of new methods for the expansion of cultivation areas, for the increase of planting stock of fruits and berries and enhancement of cultivation processes, particularly, new ways and mechanisms for the attraction of investments through the creation of new intensive orchards and greenhouses. All these should be done taking into consideration the upcoming modernization of the irrigation system in Ararat marz and details of the program related to the implementation of the technologies in water saving mode.

For the continuous improvement of the mechanisms aimed at the protection of crops, agricultural lands and planting stock from natural disasters, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations (TAES) was instructed to study the priorities and possibilities for the expansion of the area under the hail protection system in Ararat region and submit for the government’s consideration proposals related to the financing of the mentioned activities.

The Minister of the TAES was also instructed along with the interested parties to discuss the details of the program on the utilization of hard domestic waste in Ararat marz, and at the same time, to take steps aimed at the regulation of trash damp usage in major boroughs, particularly in Masis, to mitigate negative ecological impact caused by some administrative problems.

The governor of Ararat marz was instructed together with the Minister of Health to study the results of modernization of the region’s health care system and take continuous measures aimed at the improvement of the region’s health care system, including modernization of the Artashat Medical Center, retraining of the medical personnel working in the marz and bringing in narrow specialists.

To renovate and build new educational, cultural and sport facilities and creation of infrastructure for certain vulnerable communities of Ararat, the Executive Director of the Armenian Territorial Development Fund (ATDF) Ashot Kirakossian was instructed to present feasibility studies of the programs highlighted in his report and to start the tender processes for the construction works. In future programs, the priority should be given to a speedy renovation of the educational institutions of the marz and to the projects related to the development of tourism industry in the region.