Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a consultative meeting to review the findings of stock-taking activities in the disaster zone.

“We have gathered today to see the status of the assignment issued in Gyumri on December 7, 2018 that had to do with the conduct of stock-taking in the disaster zone in order to understand the extent of the population’s housing needs, realize the government’s liabilities, the situation, as a whole, and find out exactly what we actually mean when we are talking about the disaster zone, as well as what and when we should do in this connection,” the Prime Minister said at the beginning of the meeting.

Urban Development Committee Chairman Vahagn Vermishyan reported that within the framework of the program for 2008–2020, the problem of improving the living conditions for 557 families is still unaddressed. 44 households have been provided with shelters owing to 460 million drams allocated from the state budget in 2018. In 2019, 560 million drams have been made available under the program to solve the housing problems of 60 families. In 2020 it is planned to deal with the housing problems of 453 families, 280 - in Lori, 149 - in Shirak, and 24 - in Aragatsotn.

At the same time, Vahagn Vermishyan reported that as a result of the efforts made in the disaster zone, 6,536 temporary shelters were registered that are being used as housing: 3500 - in Shirak, 2845 - in Lori, 51 - in Aragatsotn. In compliance with the Prime Minister’s recommendation, targeted surveys will be carried out by this June 30 to see which of the families living in temporary shelters are eligible for state support.

The meeting next discussed the possibilities and options for dealing with housing problems, the status of emergency buildings, other urban development issues, as well as the ways of catalyzing construction in the disaster zone.

Stressing the importance of resolving the issue of temporary dwellings in Gyumri, Vanadzor and other localities, the Premier noted that towns and cities should develop in line with the established urban development plans. The Prime Minister emphasized that the Government is set to solve the problem of the disaster zone. At the same time, Nikol Pashinyan instructed the Urban Development Committee to submit international experience-based solutions to the problem of emergency buildings in the country.