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The head of the parliament was on an official visit in Vayots Dzor Marz

On March 29 the Speaker of RA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan was in Vayots Dzor Marz on a working visit. The Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgyan, the Chairman of RA NA Standing Committee on Agriculture and Environment Khachik Harutyunyan and the members of the committee, deputies elected from the marz, The Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan, the Governor of Vayotz Dzor Sergey Bagratyan and other officials accompanied him.

The NA Speaker had meetings in a number of villages of the marz, talked to the residents, and got acquainted with their problems. The meetings turned into sincere talks, during people were presenting issues concerning the community and their personal problems. They were especially inspired by the willingness of the head of the parliament to listen to them, and it’s not by chance that during the meeting in the village of Yelpin (this settlement was the first “stop” of NA Speaker’s visit), one of the residents, thanking for the visit, said that if no problem was solved with this visit, nevertheless, it’s a big thing to come and listen to the farmer. And the NA Speaker was not listening to the farmers, if necessary he was specifying details from relevant officials on the problem, but also was giving possible concrete solutions or giving practical promise for solving the problem. The farmers were telling the NA Speaker about their problems. One of old men said that last time dozens of years ago they had seen Speaker of the National Assembly, when the Chairman of the ArmSSR Supreme Council Shmavon Arushanyan visited them.

During his first visit in the village of Yelpin and at the last stop the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan told the residents in the far away borderline Bardzruni village that after the last assignments of the President of the republic Serzh Sagsyan on paying more serious attention to the agriculture and the problems of the village, the representatives of the authorities would more frequently visit marzes and villages to get acquainted with the existing problems to solve them. According to the NA Speaker, the President of the country pays great attention to the rural settlements and the solution of their problems. We should decide priorities and the possibilities of solving them. The Speaker of the National Assembly abstained from unrealistic promises, noting that it’s better not to promise than promise and not to fulfill it.

In the village of Yelpin the problems were various: there is no kindergarten, there is a problem of inner network of irrigation and drinking water, including difficulties in realizing the grapes. The farmers were proposing that before passing the laws the deputies would go to the villages, get familiarized with the problem and then pass relevant law. Hovik Abrahamyan agreed with the farmers that the deputies should frequently visit the marzes. Regarding the solution of the concrete problems, the NA Speaker listened to all of them, assigned to register the raised issues for discussing the opportunities of their solution. Hovik Abrahamyan promised to solve the problem of realizing the grapes produced of the whole village (last year it was about 1000 tones, but people could not realize the harvest), as well as in response to one of the farmer’s request, he promised to solve the issue of installing the equipment of producing with the help of the Ministry of Agriculture till the end of the year.

During the meeting in Yeghegnadzor with the leadership of the RPA Hovik Abrahamyan noted that the farmers were mainly raising objective problems. People need contacts, and we shall meet them and listen to the people.

At the meeting with the heads of the communities and the representatives he once again reminded about the assignment of the President of the country to visit the marzes, get familiarized with the problems, discuss and solve them. Noting that the aim of the visit is to meet the farmers, hear about their problems and find possible solutions. The Speaker of the National Assembly highlighted the equal development of the territories. The head of the parliament said that the population of the marzes should actively take part in the economic, political and cultural processes.

In the next villages, which visited the NA Speaker, the problems were almost the same: water, village technique, seeds, and job. In the village of Zaritap the residents said that the considerable part of the lands was not sown, there is no seed and corresponding village technique, the banks provide credits with high interest. The NA Speaker listened to all of them with patience and noted that the government had decided to provide credits with considerably low interests to the villagers, also promised to support them in getting seeds, and the NA Speaker promised to provide corresponding sum of money for assisting to get tractors. Hovik Abrahamyan got acquainted with special attention the problems of the school, and during the further meetings paying attention to the issue of the schools. In the village of Sers he was informed that the school of the village has no property, promised to solve that issue.

In the village of Martiros, among other problems, the issue of the potato seeds is difficult, and the community has no possibility to get them. Hovik Abrahamyan promised to provide certain sum of money for solving that problem. By the co-villagers’ evidence the problem of supporting one of the families being in socially hard situation was solved.

In the village of Brdzruni the existing problems were harmonious with the main problems of other settlements, plus the borderline and highland position of the village. Getting acquainted with the situation and state of the population RA NA Speaker promised to pay the farmers’ two-year land tax. In the talk with the journalists highlighting the visit to the village he quoted the farmers’ words that the officials had not visited this village. “The important thing is not the visit, the important thing is what problems will be discussed, and solved,” the NA Speaker said. “There is discontent which was very just, for example the youth has no occupation, no job. The farmers have land, which is not possible to cultivate, as it is on the border. They have problem of seeds. After coming back we’ll think how to support the village.”

NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan also visited the Armenian-Azerbaijani borderline zone, talked with the military servicemen, got acquainted with their everyday life and conditions of the service. As the Speaker of the parliament recorded in the talk with the reporters, the military were in good mood, the conditions were normal. A soldier from Gegharkunik Marz, who was serving one year, an opportunity was given to have 15 days holidays.

Within the framework of the visit to Vayots Dzor the NA Speaker was in Yeghenadzor branch of the Armenian State University of Economy. The students of this higher educational institution recently were hosted in the parliament within the framework of the NA Open Lesson framework and met Hovik Abrahamyan. At the meeting the NA Speaker promised the students to give computers as presents to the branch. The NA had a tour in the building, where the computer auditorium was equipped with 5 presented computers. In the auditoriums the NA Speaker talked with the students, urging them to study well and get basic knowledge. The NA Speaker left note in the Guests’ Book highlighting that idea.

Ending the working visit on the same day in the evening the NA Speaker returned to Yerevan.