REFUGEES OF LORI MARZ ARE PROVIDED WITH DWELLINGS, BUT THERE ARE STILL FAMILIES REMAINED HOMELESS AFTER EARTHQUAKE
Noyan Tapan
Jun 21 2006
VANADZOR, JUNE 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Armenian PR Association" joint
with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees organized journalists’
visit to the marz of Lori on June 19. It was dedicated to the World
Refugees Day.
This was the third visit being implemented by the NGO within the
framework of the "Public Awareness Program" dedicated to social issues
of the country.
Visits were organized before that to the marzes of Kotayk, Ararat
and to Yerevan.
Lori Regional Governor Henrik Kochinian informed that refugees living
in villages of the marz of Tashir and the region of Tumanian have
no flat problem: they either directly exchanged flats or settled
in flats remained free of Azeris. There is flat problem in Spitak,
Vanadzor and neighboring territories suffered from the 1988 earthquake.
According to the Regional Governor, more than 230 families suffered
from the earthquake got flats by the UN resources and with the direct
assistance of the Norwegian Refugee Council, other 34 families were
given certificates for buying flats on the account of the state
budget. According to H.Kochinian, flats like cottages with 400 square
km personal plot were built in Stepanavan for 52 families. The Regional
Governor mentioned that about 200 families as well have flat problem
in the marz, mainly in the city of Vanadzor.
According to H.Kochinian’s estimation, in the sense of employment,
refugees are less protected as an individual enterprizing employer
first of all gives job to his relatives and friends. According to
the official data, the number of unemployed people increased in the
marz in 2005 by 3 thousand compared with the previous year and it
made 18.5 thousand people. At the same time the Regional Governor
finds that those people who work without official registration make
a considerable part among the unemployed people.
According to the Governor, there is little or much stable profit
in cattle-breeding. Big companies store up huge quantity of milk,
and it means that "the market problem is gradually being solved for
a villager. … There are families in the villages of the territory
of Tashir, Stepanavan populated with refugees who have 10-30 cows,
it is a serious profit," H.Kochinian said.
Though the Regional Governor is not very satisfied with speeds of
development of small and meddium-sized entrepreneurial activity,
however it started to move at present in Vanadzor, Spitak, Stepanavan,
Alaverdi. According to H.Kochinian’s estimation, in this issue Vanadzor
"is some 3 year behind Yerevan, and villages – even more."
The Regional Governor of Lori finds that it is important for
development of business to differ the agricultural production, thus,
to produce different goods (in the case, when numerous villagers
often sow the same cultured plants, irrespective of the demand). The
Regional Governor also considered important that amalgamation of
lands is implemented for an effective usage of technics.
Participants of the visit were in the villages of Saramej and Ayrum
as well where houses were given to two needy families by the UN High
Commissioner’s Office for Refugee. And in total, the number of families
provided with private houses and cottages by the 2005-2006 financing of
the office will make 31 in the marz of Ararat, and 9 in the Lori marz.