Today Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan left for Lori Province on a working visit. During the consultation held in Vanadzor, the Prime Minister was presented with the performance reports 2022 and ongoing programs of Lori regional administration.

Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan, Head of State Supervision Service Romanos Petrosyan, Governor of Lori Aram Khachatryan, Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan and other officials participated in the consultation.

The macroeconomic indicators of Lori Province for 2022 were first reported to the Head of the Government. Accordingly, the volume of industrial output in the reporting year was 92.4 billion AMD, the actual increase against 2021 was 60.9 percent, the share in the country’s total volume was 3.4 percent. The volume of gross agricultural output in 2022 made 88.5 billion AMD the actual increase against 2021 was 112.4 percent, the volume of construction was 22.5 billion AMD, the actual increase against 2021 made 109.8 percent, the trade turnover was 34 billion AMD, the actual increase against 2021 was 104.6 percent, the volume of services was 29.6 billion AMD, the actual increase against 2021 was 129.1 percent.

The Prime Minister was reported about 2018-2022 subsidy programs. The number of subsidy programs implemented in the reporting years was 307, with a total cost of 12.2 billion AMD, of which the state budget part is 6.2 billion AMD. The number of projects in 2018 was 20 with a cost of 505 million AMD, in 2019 there were 55 projects worth 1.8 billion AMD, 96 projects worth 3.7 billion AMD in 2020, 96 projects worth 3.860 billion AMD in 2021, 40 projects worth 2.323 billion AMD in 2022. The subsidy programs included the following sectors: asphalt paving: 51 programs, 46.42 km, lighting: 47 programs, 822 streets, water supply: 26 programs, 91.4 km, irrigation system: 20 programs, 57.1 km, kindergartens: 11 programs, paving: 42 programs, 39.14 km, gas supply: 6 projects, 822 households, renovation of residential buildings: 14 projects, renovation of public buildings: 39 projects, equipment, property acquisition: 27 projects, photovoltaic plants: 8 projects, park: 16 projects.

Presenting the information about the subsidy programs of the current year to the Prime Minister, it was noted that 47 programs with a value of 7.45 billion AMD and 152 sub-programs were approved. The share of the state budget for financing these programs is 4.25 billion AMD, the part of the local budget is 2.51 billion AMD, and other funds are 0.69 billion AMD.

The region has 250.844 ha of agricultural land, the forest fund is 100.6 ha. It was emphasized that in the field of agriculture in 2022 compared to 2021 sowing areas increased by 443 ha. There were 90 ha of drip irrigation orchards in 2021, and in 2022 they were 130 ha, intensive gardens in 2021 made up 70 ha, and in 2022 - 110 ha. It was also reported that 14 smart cattle farms, 8 slaughterhouses, 86 anti-hail stations, 12 cold stores with a capacity of 615 tons are operating in the region.

The volume of investments in the agricultural sector in the region in 2022 made about 8 billion AMD. The achievements in the field of agriculture were also presented to the Head of the Government. Within the framework of the Green Agriculture program, an unmanned aerial vehicle for spreading fertilizers and pesticides was purchased at a cost of 50,000 euros. The working group of the region developed the agricultural strategy of the region for 2022-2025. With the cooperation of the Government, the Eurasian Development Bank and the "Yeremyan Farm", included in the group of companies "Yeremyan Projects", the construction process of the livestock complex has started. The total cost of the project is 31 million USD. In Tashir region of the Province, a pig breeding farm was established by "Bozoyan" company in 2022. The amount of investment was 3 million USD, 400-500 tons of pork will be produced annually. "Tashir Agro" cattle breeding complex was founded in Tashir region. 481 heads of Simmental cattle were acquired.

Referring to the field of education, first the number of educational institutions in the region was presented, according to which there are 163 general education institutions, of which 149 are under regional administration, 37 smart classes, and 114 Armath laboratories. Then it was reported about the activities carried out in schools, according to which eco-classrooms were opened in 6 schools, orchards were established in 32 schools, 14 schools were renovated and re-equipped, solar plants were installed in 25 schools, greenhouse farms are present in 7 schools, 827 teachers were certified, 64 teachers were voluntarily certified. Among the teachers who passed voluntary certification, the highest salary is more than 400 thousand AMD.

There are 74 kindergartens in the region. 26 kindergartens have been built and reconstructed in 2018-2022.

As for the urban development sector, according to officials, allocations for the capital construction sector in the province according to the source of financing are as follows: private allocations amount to 26 million 235 thousand AMD, international allocations - 279 million AMD, community allocations - 1 billion 622 million AMD, state budget allocations: 3 billion 920 million AMD.

It was reported to the Head of the Government that the volume of investments in the field of urban development in 2022 made 5.8 billion AMD. Accordingly, the construction works of 153 family residential houses were completed by the "Fuller House Building Center" charitable non-governmental organization, 14 schools were renovated and equipped, 2 state colleges were reconstructed, 1 elementary school building was reconstructed, capital urgent projects were implemented in 17 schools, schools are being built in 3 communities, works on the construction of a "Modular" type kindergarten with a capacity of 144 children have started in 1 community, "Modular" type schools are being built in 2 communities, construction and reconstruction works of school gymnasiums are being carried out in 7 communities, construction worth about 1.9 billion AMD were carried out by the Armenian Territorial Development Fund.

During the consultation, information was presented on the works carried out in the direction of road construction in the region, according to which the volume of investments in the field of road construction amounted to 13.9 billion AMD, 103.4 km of roads were overhauled.

The works carried out for infrastructure improvement were reported. In particular, within the framework of the Armenian-German cooperation program in the field of water supply, the reconstruction works of the distribution network of the 8th pressure zone of Vanadzor are planned with the financing of KFW Bank, the cost of which is 905.2 million AMD. The following works were carried out by "Veolia water" company: construction of a new chlorine plant worth 10.3 million AMD, improvement of water supply and drainage systems of settlements worth 1.8 million AMD, repair of chlorine plants in Vardablur and Aghegi communities worth 5.8 million AMD. It was noted that the number of landfills is 5. In 2022, photovoltaic plants were installed in 8 communities of the region.

Reference was also made to the health care sector, it was noted that there are 29 medical institutions under the regionala dministration, 5 medical centers, 1 dispensary, 4 polyclinics, 19 primary health care centers, hospital capacity is 461 beds. The volume of investments in the sector is 1.7 billion AMD. "Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Medicine" was opened in "Vanadzor Medical Center", equipped with the support of "Aznavour Foundation". In 2023 "Spitaki Medical Center" purchased a Siemens go.Up computed tomography device of the German brand Siemens with its own funds at a cost of 162 million AMD. Digital x-ray equipment was provided to 4 health institutions of the region by the Ministry of Health in 2022.

"Children of Armenia Charitable Foundation" (COAF) built a new building equipped with modern equipment and property of "Dseghi Health Center" SNOC. The volume of investments is 400 million AMD.

Within the framework of international cooperation, the "Children of Armenia" charitable foundation (COAF) has invested about 2 billion AMD in the framework of development programs of rural communities. The economic development forum of Lori Province was organized by the initiative of the regional administration. About 11.6 million AMD have been invested within the framework of the EU program "Empowerment of local actors for development in Lori and Tavush Provinces".

The volume of investments in the field of tourism in 2022 amounted to around 1.8 billion AMD. The number of hotel establishments is 273, of which 20 are new hotel establishments.

Presenting the works and current programs in the field of culture and sports to the Prime Minister, it was noted that there are 19 sports schools, 3 sports clubs, 21 libraries, 8 museums, 28 music, art, and dance schools in the region. About 21 archaeological items were recovered in the Lori-Pambak geological museum. 7 thematic exhibitions were organized in the museum. The number of visitors in 2021 made 2534, and in 2022 - 3972. Major repair and construction works of gymnasiums were carried out in 7 schools. There are sports halls in 88 schools, of which 64 are subject to repair.

During the consultation, upcoming programs were also discussed. In particular, it was mentioned that the plan for the sustainable development of the Vanadzor community was developed together with the Lori regional administration and the Vanadzor community administration. The total cost of the project is 27 million euros. The programs for improving the utility and sanitary conditions of the enlarged communities of Vanadzor, Spitak, Tumanyan and Pambak were developed jointly with the Lori regional administration and approved by the Territorial Development Fund of Armenia. With the joint efforts of the "Investment Support Center" Foundation and the Lori regional administration, the investment program of the "Yerevan Chocolate Factory" company is in progress. The process of building 11 Tumo boxes and a Tumo center in Vanadzor is underway by the Simonyan Foundation in 7 communities of the region.

Among the upcoming projects are also the construction of a new building of the "Tashir Medical Center", the construction of a new building of the "Infectious Department" operating within the "Vanadzor Medical Center", and the opening of the hemodialysis department of the "Stepanavan Medical Center".

Continuing to present information about upcoming projects, it was also mentioned the construction of a new district to replace the existing emergency wooden residential buildings in Ashotaberd district of Stepanavan community of Lori region, as a result of which 309 families will have new apartments, will soon start.

During the consultation, the Prime Minister referred to the construction of schools, the expansion of intensive orchards, the provision of necessary consultation to agricultural farms, the development of other branches, road construction, the overhaul and construction of schools and kindergartens, as well as other projects, and gave relevant instructions to those in charge.

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In the sidelines of the visit to Lori Province, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan familiarized himself with the implemented and ongoing programs in the communities funded by the Government and subsidy programs.

Nikol Pashinyan's first stop was Khorenatsi street of Vanadzor community, almost 1 km of major repair works are being carried out in its 2 lanes. The total cost of the project is 272.8 million AMD. The funds were allocated by the Government.

Next, the Prime Minister visited the "Itex" company of Vanadzor community and got acquainted with its activities. The Armenian-Italian company "Itex" was founded in May 2022. It is engaged in the production of clothes of famous Italian brands and has about 1000 employees. Currently, the company has 14 production lines, but in the near future it is planned to increase the production volumes to 24 production lines.

The Head of the Government also got acquainted with the construction works of the infectious diseases department of Vanadzor Medical Center. 891 million AMD are invested in the major repair works of the two-story, 50-bed department. The funds were allocated by the Government.

Nikol Pashinyan visited the city stadium of Vanadzor, which was renovated with the funds of the Football Federation of Armenia. The construction works of the stadium were resumed from July 2021. It has a new tribune with 3000 seats, the number of seats can be increased in the future, the possibilities of building new tribunes are currently being discussed.

The Prime Minister visited primary school No. 9 named after Kh. Abovyan in Vanadzor, where he got acquainted with the construction works of the new gymnasium, 70% of which have already been completed. The Government has allocated 199.5 million AMD for the gymnasium construction project designed for 159 students.

Details were also presented to the Head of the Hovernment regarding the progress of renovation works of Hrachya Nersisyan street of Vanadzor community. 55% of construction works have been completed. A total of 1,127 km of roads will be repaired. The cost of the subsidy program is 314 million AMD. Half of the funds were allocated by the Government.

Nikol Pashinyan's next stop was the "Gloria" sewing factory of Vanadzor community. The products of the company meet European quality requirements, and has about 2500 employees. The 2 branches together produce 180,000 pieces of various types of clothing, coats, jackets, motorcycle clothing, and various types of protective clothing per month.

The Head of the Government got acquainted with the construction works of the sewer line of Fioletovo community. 1,676 km of sewer line, 1 treatment plant is being built. The cost of the subsidy program is 31,500,000 AMD, 65% of which was allocated from the state budget.

The repair works of the streets of Lermontovo community were presented to the Prime Minister. The cost of the 2022 and 2023 subsidy programs were 21 and 22 million AMD, respectively. 60 percent of the funds were allocated by the Government.

Nikol Pashinyan also got acquainted with the major repair works of the 7.1 km long section of the M-6-Yeghegnut-Debet highway, 90% of which has already been completed. The cost of the subsidy program for the fundamental repair of the road is 846.7 million AMD. In Yeghegnut, the Prime Minister talked with the locals about various issues.

In Dsegh settlement of Tumanyan community, the Prime Minister got acquainted with the construction works of the "Dsegh Health Center" being built by the Children of Armenia Fund, which is in the final stage. The total cost of the project is $1 million. In 2022, the volume of investments was 168 million AMD. It will serve the population of 7 settlements of Tumanyan region.

The major repair works of T-5-73 /H-70/ - Karinj regional road were presented to the Head of the Government. 80% of the repair works of the 4 km road have been completed, the total cost of the project is 346 million AMD. The funds were allocated by the Government.

30% of the restoration and improvement works of the relevant section of the M-6, Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Georgia border interstate highway were also completed. 954 million AMD have been allocated from the state budget for the project.

Nikol Pashinyan also visited the 1.6 km hiking trail leading to the Kayan fortress, which was built by the initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia and with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Armenia. 31 wooden and 13 stone steps were installed on the path, iron staircases were installed in difficult sections. A start sign with the necessary technical description and map has been installed at the beginning of the trail, as well as directional signs and markings along the entire trail.

The Prime Minister's last stop today was in Alaverdi, where the Sanahin-Akner 9.3 km highway is under construction. The cost of the project is about 2 billion AMD, which was allocated from the state budget.

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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Lori Province continued on August 29.

The Prime Minister first visited Hagvi village of Alaverdi community, where the construction of a modular school is in the final stage. The Government allocated 755 million AMD for the implementation of the project. The school designed for 140 students will be commissioned by December.

Next, Nikol Pashinyan visited the Odzun settlement and got acquainted with the progress of the construction of the sports and health center, 80% of which have already been completed. 114 million 433 thousand AMD and 91 million 107 thousand AMD were allocated under the 2021 and 2022 subsidy programs for the sports and health center, respectively. 55 percent of the funds were allocated by the Government.

Then, the Prime Minister was presented with the renovation works of the community center of the Agarak settlement of the Lori Berd community and the improvement of the area. 60% of the works have been completed. The value of the 2019-2022 and 2023 subsidy programs for the improved area was 68 million 366 thousand and 24 million 359 thousand AMD, respectively. 50 percent of the funds were provided by the Government.
Nikol Pashinyan got acquainted with the major repair works of H-33, /M-3 /Stepanavan-Agarak-Yaghdan-/H-35/ republican highway, 95% of which have been completed. The Government allocated 642 million AMD for the major repair of the 6.1 km long road.

The Head of the Government in Tashir community visited the construction site of the renovation of the house of culture of Sarchapet settlement. The construction works are almost finished, the total cost of the subsidy program for the culture house of about 1000 square meters is 59 million AMD, 45 percent of which was allocated by the Government.

Presenting the ongoing construction works of the Yeremyan Farm livestock complex, it was noted that the company currently has 300 heads of Holstein cattle. The total cost of the project is 31 million USD. Nikol Pashinyan also visited "Bozoyan" LLC, which implements cultivation of cropland. annual capacity is about 2 thousand hectares. The total cost of the investment project is about 7 million USD.

Nikol Pashinyan also familiarized himself with the major repair works of the 22.9 km section of the M-3, Turkish border-Margara-Vanadzor-Tashir-Georgia border road, which have actually been completed. The total cost of the project is 3 billion 771 million AMD. The funds were allocated from the state budget.

The Prime Minister visited the city square of the Stepanavan settlement of the Stepanavan community, where 80% of the renovation works have already been carried out: dancing fountain, 4700 square meters of paved passage, 1200 square meters of asphalted area. The total cost of the project is more than 201 million AMD. 1.8 km of major repair works are also being carried out on Charents Street in Stepanavan city, the cost of which is more than 736 million AMD.

Nikol Pashinyan also got acquainted with the construction works of the community building of art school in Gyulagarak settlement. The cost of the subsidy program for the construction of the art school, which is about 200 square meters, is 74 million 900 thousand AMD. 45 percent of the funds were allocated by the Government. The works will be completed before the end of the year.

The Prime Minister was also presented with the medium repair works of the 13 km section of the M-3 Margara-Vanadzor-Tashir-Georgia border road, which have been completed, due to the emergence of defects, the construction company is putting a new layer of asphalt concrete at its own expense in the 10 km section. The cost of the project is 494 million AMD. The funds were allocated by the Government.

It was also noted that the medium repair works of the 4.06 km section of the M-3 Margara-Vanadzor-Tashir-Georgia border road have started. The government allocated more than 199 million AMD for the implementation of the project. The major repair works of the 4.8 km M-3 Margara-Vanadzor-Tashir-Georgia border road near Bazum community have also been completed.

The next stop of the Head of the Government was the Katnajur settlement of the Spitak community, where a memorial to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland was built with a subsidy program. The construction works have been completed, a 1700 square meter park has been built, for which 42 million AMD have been allocated. 50 percent of the funds were allocated by the Government. The Prime Minister laid flowers at the memorial, paying tribute to the memory of the heroes.

The Prime Minister visited the city square of the Stepanavan settlement of the Stepanavan community, where 80% of the renovation works have already been carried out: fountains with light and sound effects, 4700 square meters of paved passage, 1200 square meters of asphalted area. The total cost of the project is more than 201 million drams. 1.8 km of major repair works are also being carried out on Charentsi Street in Stepanavan city, the cost of which is more than 736 million drams.

Nikol Pashinyan also got acquainted with the construction works of the community building of an art school in Gyulagarak settlement. The cost of the subsidy program for the construction of the art school, which is about 200 square meters, is 74 million 900 thousand AMD. 45 percent of the funds were allocated by the Government. The works will be completed before the end of the year.

The Prime Minister was also presented with the medium repair works of the 13 km section of the M-3 Margara-Vanadzor-Tashir-Georgia border road, which have been completed, due to the appearance of defects, the construction company is installing a new layer of asphalt concrete at its own expense in the 10 km section. The cost of the project is 494 million drams. The funds were allocated by the Government.

It was also noted that the average repair works of the 4.06 km section of the M-3 Margara-Vanadzor-Tashir-Georgia border road have started. The government allocated more than 199 million drams for the implementation of the project. The overhaul works of the 4.8 km M-3 Margara-Vanadzor-Tashir-Georgia border road near Bazum community have also been completed.

The next stop of the Head of the Government was the Katnajur settlement of the Spitak community, where a memorial to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland was built with a subsidy program. The construction works have been completed, a 1700 square meter park has been built, for which 42 million AMD have been allocated. 50 percent of the funds were allocated by the Government. The Prime Minister laid flowers at the memorial, paying tribute to the memory of the heroes.

Next, the Prime Minister familiarized himself with the works of the major repair of the T-5-7, M7 Shirakamut - Lernavan (T-5-38) road, 90% of which have been completed. The cost of repairing of the 1.1 km road amounted to more than 148 million AMD, which was allocated by the Government.

Nikol Pashinyan was also present at the construction site of the modular kindergarten in Spitak city. 787 million 532 thousand AMD were allocated for the construction project of a kindergarten with an area of about 1300 square meters and a capacity of 144 places. The funds were provided by the Government.

The last stop of the Prime Minister was in Lernavan settlement of Spitak community, where a reservoir was built. The cost of the subsidy program for the construction of a reservoir with a geomembrane with a volume of about 12 thousand 500 cubic meters is 34 million 948 thousand AMD. A part of the funds was allocated by the Government. The community share was contributed by UNDP.

In Spitak community, Nikol Pashinyan paid tribute to the Armenians who died in the 44-day war.

The Prime Minister highlighted the high-quality and timely implementation of programs, stressing that the Government will continue to actively contribute to the development of regions through various programs.

Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Lori Province has ended.