Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan paid a working visit to Tavush Marz of Armenia. In Dilijan town, the Prime Minister discussed current problems and development prospects with Governor Hovik Abovyan and community leaders. Noting that each region’s development prospects will be discussed with Marz Governors and community leaders, the Prime Minister said, “We expect to receive all communities’ development programs by the end of the year. We will discuss them and give priority to the most promising projects, where the community shall take on a burden in addition to their expectations from the government, that is, our relations will be based on partnership. We understand that you have many concerns; you are facing specific problems. We understand that our border communities need a specific attitude as they are lacking in economic activity. Support will be provided in accordance with the rules of the game so that we can move forward.”
Tavush Marz Governor Hovik Abovyan presented his region’s social-economic situation and economic indicators, development priorities and future plans.
It was reported that Tavush Marz is primarily an agricultural region, and there are some achievements in this field. Noting that the bulk of agricultural activities is carried out in border communities, which benefit from the social and tax incentives established by the government as early as in 2014, the Governor said that no significant results in terms of investment projects had been recorded due to the existing risks.
Speaking of the achievements, Hovik Abovyan informed that Tavush Textile LLC had founded a workshop in Choratan village, which employed 200 people. 100 jobs are due to be created in Artsvaberd by the mid of next year. The company is going to create some 2,000 jobs in the Tavush-Idjevan-Noyemberyan sector by 2020.
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Given the uniqueness of the fruit growing in the region and the successful experience of Soviet-era processing industries, steps are being taken to attract private investment in order to set up processing factories or plants.
After the Governor’s report, the Prime Minister spoke of the need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Marz and develop programs based on them. “We need to understand what sectors are developing faster, how many people are employed, what are the prospects for development. What are the features and advantages of Tavush Marz? Which weaknesses do you have? Tavush is a border and risky region, but it stands next to the Georgian market,” Karen Karapetyan said, adding that the issues and priorities need to be distinguished in order to formulate solutions aimed at improving the quality of life.
After discussing issues related to the development of agriculture, healthcare, education, tourism, culture and infrastructure in Tavush Marz, the meeting heard the results of a pilot project aimed at community consolidation.
The Prime Minister inquired about the state of affairs in the healthcare sector, including the State order placement process, the efficiency of medical institutions and other related issues. After receiving a negative response concerning the transparency and effectiveness of the system of State order, the Head of Government advised that the Minister of Healthcare is going to introduce a new concept of State order, which will imply a possibility of choice for citizens.
Stressing that the system needs a drastic change, Karen Karapetyan instructed the Minister of Healthcare and the local healthcare officers to work together and work out a relevant program.
The Prime Minister and the community leaders concurred in that Tavush boasts great potential for tourism development, and steps have to be taken in that direction. “We actually want to implement a large program in tourism. We believe that Armenia is underestimated as a country of tourism. The planned low-cost airline services, the granting of certain privileges to RF citizens may promote this industry, but we also need to offer quality services,” Karen Karapetyan urged the interested parties to submit business plans to the State Committee for Tourism.
The meeting next discussed issues related to the preservation and improvement of historical and cultural monuments and monasteries in the region. The Prime Minister suggested thinking about the prospects of setting up a foundation in the Marz, involving the resources of local donors.
The Premier welcomed and highlighted the projects proposed by the heads of communities aimed at raising the quality of education with the use of advanced and modern technology. Speaking about the state of road infrastructure in border communities, Karen Karapetyan noted that there are many problems in this area, and the government will improve all priority roads.
“We have a adopted special attitude towards border villages, and we do not speak the language of business. Here, we have specific tasks to comply with,” the Prime Minister said.
Wrapping up the discussion, Karen Karapetyan told the community leaders to develop projects for specific sectors. In conclusion, the Prime Minister visited the office of citizen services, operational in the municipality of Dilijan to get acquainted with the working conditions, and the quality of one-stop-shop services provided to the population.
