Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan traveled to Ararat Marz to discuss the ongoing and upcoming programs. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan, Chief of the Office of the Prime Minister Arsen Torosyan, Ararat Marz Governor Razmik Tonyan, the Deputy Governors, the heads of the corresponding units of the Office of Prosecutor General, Investigative Committee, Police, Armed Forces and representatives of local agencies attended the consultation.

The Prime Minister advised that such working meetings and discussions were going to be held in all ministries, state agencies and regional administrations in order to summarize the work done so far and outline the upcoming activities.

“Ararat Marz is first of all an environment of agricultural activity; we will have to make preparations for the spring campaign in the near future. Of course, the improvement of the business environment, issues of socio-economic development, the enforcement of the legal order and security stand high on our agenda. We will have a discussion on all these topics, we will give relevant instructions, and we will summarize the results. We will assess the emerging challenges, the problems we need to address,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

The Governor and the Deputy Governors of Ararat Marz referred to the previous year’s results, noting that the production of agricultural products slightly fell due to COVID-19 and the war. Instead the production of grapes and vegetables went up last year. The region boasts 156 thousand hectares of agricultural land, including pastures and some 42 thousand hectares of cultivated land.

The Premier stressed the need to expand the scope of arable land, In this context, he noted that the government will continue to take steps to promote agriculture through a broad range of measures and subsidized programs. Highlighting the use of modern orchards, greenhouses and farms, Nikol Pashinyan instructed those responsible to diagnose the problems through monitoring and offer solutions.

The Prime Minister noted that the state will continue to take steps to ensure the most favorable conditions for investment programs along with specific legislative amendments and program revisions, if necessary.

73 subsidy programs worth 2.5 billion drams were implemented in the region in 2020, of which the government co-financed AMD 1.3 billion. Consistent monitoring was performed to ensure the effectiveness of all programs. 5 subsidy bids have already been received from Ararat Marz in 2021.

Issues related to the planned preparations for the spring agricultural campaign, construction, education and other spheres were discussed during the meeting.

The representative of the Armed Forces reported that the border situation in Ararat Marz is calm under the full control of the Armenian forces. The heads of the local Prosecutor’s Office, Investigative Committee and Police departments came up with individual reports, presenting the activities aimed at ensuring the rule of law.

Following the consultation, Prime Minister Pashinyan toured Artashat. He talked to the locals in order to learn of their concerns and answer their questions.