FOUNDATION OF SHUSHI OUTLINED RECONSTRUCTION POLICY
Laura Grigorian
Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Oct 17 2006
On October 4 the board of trustees of Shushi Revival Foundation set
up in spring 2006 met at the Narekatsi Cultural Center in Shushi. The
chief executive of the foundation G. Hovanissian presented a report
on the work of the foundation over the past few months. The priority
of the foundation is to work out the strategy of reconstruction
of Shushi for 5-10 years. There are both short-term and long-term
projects. According to G. Hovanissian, it is estimated that the
population of Shushi will grow to 10 thousand by 2015. Yerevan Project
is already working out the project of the water supply system of the
city. According to the short-term policy, besides its contribution
during the upcoming six months the Shushi foundation will facilitate
the engagement of other investors. The investment and urban planning
projects will be presented to the government and investors, the
social and economic state of the population of Shushi must be made
sustainable, 100-150 jobs must be created, mostly in the spheres of
service and building, it is necessary to promote connections between
the settlements of NKR and Armenia by setting up infrastructures of
superior quality, upgrade the qualification of the local labor. Prime
Minister Anoushavan Danielian said since Shushi is growing, it is
necessary to have a policy of overall reconstruction and a coordinating
body. "The reconstruction of a town like Shushi is very complicated
and requires responsibility. We have to restore everything that
used to exist in Shushi," said the prime minister. At the same time,
Anoushavan Danielian said the government will support the foundation
and added that the allocations from the state budget to the region
increase annually. The board of trustees decided to hold a Shushi –
Yerevan – Moscow – Paris telethon on May 7 on the 15th anniversary
of liberation of Shushi.