Armenia drafts 209 proposals for US-sponsored Millennium Challenge project

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
6 Sep 04

[Presenter] Armenia has prepared 209 proposals which will be submitted
for financing under the Millennium Challenge Account. A session
of the local council of the Millennium Challenge will be held in
Yerevan this week which together with the government and political
organizations will discuss and choose the programmes to be send to
Washington. Most of them fall under social welfare and will be aimed
at reducing poverty in the country.

[Correspondent Hermine Bagdasaryan] The Armenian Finance Ministry has
already got 209 proposals for the reduction of poverty in Armenia
with assistance from Washington. Just 158 out of the 209 proposals
have been estimated at 2bn dollars. The Armenian government will not
submit this figure to the Washington office. It will be discussed in
Yerevan this week at the session of the Millennium Challenge.

[Vardan Khachatryan, Armenian Finance and Economy Minister, speaking
in his office] Various proposals have been made: 50 m dollars for
education, 86 m dollars for health care, 46 m dollars for social
security, 372m dollars for road construction and repair, 87m dollars
for drinking water. We do not know for sure whether our proposals
will be approved or not. If they are to be approved, we shall choose
the most important ones.

[Correspondent] The work which will be carried out in this direction
and expenditure will be controlled from Washington. If everything is
implemented successfully and Armenia is among the ranks of countries
enjoying American assistance, then it will get 760 m dollars in the
next three years.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress