Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Syunik region and familarized himself with completed and ongoing projects.

The Prime Minister’s first stop was the Vorotan-Khot highway, where he got acquainted with the reconstruction works on the 10.3 km long highway. The total cost of the project is over 4 billion 198 million AMD. It was reported that a natural landslide occurred on the 8.7 km section of the road, which caused a delay in the work deadlines. Nikol Pashinyan visited the area, got acquainted with the problems caused by the landslide and the proposed solutions. It was also noted that a two-layer asphalt concrete cover has already been installed on the first 7.2 km section of the Khot-Vorotan (M-2) section, and the earthworks of the bypass section of the collapsed section have been completed.

Next, Nikol Pashinyan visited Kapan, a newly established recreation area. The total cost of the subsidy program amounted to more than 89 million AMD, of which more than 49 million AMD were allocated by the Government.

The Prime Minister was presented with the construction of a street lighting system on a 7.4 km section from the Kapan city tunnel to the center of the Baghaberd district. The total cost of the subsidy program is more than 149 million AMD, the state's share was 70% - 104 million AMD. As a result, 249 double-sided metal pillars with lighting fixtures were installed in Kapan.

Nikol Pashinyan visited the renovated kindergarten No. 1 in Kapan. The total cost of the subsidy program was more than 377 million AMD, of which 80% - more than 302 million AMD - was allocated by the Government. The kindergarten is designed for 170 children.

The Prime Minister also participated in the launch ceremony of the Syunik regional department of the Eco-patrol Service of the Ministry of Environment in Kapan.

Nikol Pashinyan made a speech, addressed the representatives of the legislative, executive, local self-government bodies, employees of the Eco-Patrol Service, and residents of Kapan, who were present at the event, congratulated them on the launch of the Eco-Patrol Service and noted: “We have been discussing this change, the introduction of this new institution for several years, and here it is first to become a reality in Syunik region. I think this is a very important event. I want to emphasize that the changes, the reforms that we are making are, first of all, about a change in attitude.” According to Nikol Pashinyan, it is a change in attitude towards our environment, the state, and state institutions.

The Prime Minister emphasized that along with creating an infrastructure, a sense of responsibility is also extremely important. “And I want to make sure that every employee of the Eco-Patrol Service, having a new structure, having a new work tool, having a new car, must also have a new responsibility to preserve the forests of the Republic of Armenia for the citizens of Armenia. This service is not about us not letting others cut down the forest so that we can cut it more successfully. This service is about changing our attitude towards trees, forests, nature, animals, and the environment, and changing our responsibility, and there is no other option."

Nikol Pashinyan also added: "Of course, I'm not saying that with just one ceremony like this everything will change in a second. No, because inertia is often an insurmountable force, but we must be consistent, principled, we must learn from our mistakes and must be responsible for our citizens and our generations."

The Prime Minister also announced that in the near future Eco-Patrol services will be created in all regions, which will provide 24-hour forest protection services. Summing up his speech, Nikol Pashinyan wished the service employees success in this important work.

The event ended with a demonstration of the operational vehicles of the Eco-Patrol Service, which are equipped with the necessary technical means. In particular, 22 Isuzu D-Max SUVs worth 331.8 million AMD were purchased by state budget funding. In total, 660 million 484 thousand AMD were allocated from the state budget for the creation of the Eco-Patrol Service, and the support of international partners amounted to more than 64 million AMD.