$38.52MLN WORTH PROGRAM ON RETURN OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE STARTS IN ARMENIA

ARKA
Oct 3, 2008

YEREVAN, October 3. /ARKA/. A three-year program on return of
internally displaced people (from borderland) to their homes is to be
implemented in Armenia in 2008-2010. Appropriations for the program
total $38.52mln, Head of Migration Agency of Armenian Territorial
Administration Ministry Gagik Yeganyan said.

The program is to reduce migration within the country and help native
population of the border area return to permanent residence, Yeganyan
told a press conference.

According to the results of a study conducted by Armenia’s Migration
Service together with Norwegian Refugees’ Council, 26,044 people
left Armenia and 21,270 people moved to other places within the
country as a result of bombardments of 186 Armenian villages at the
border with Azerbaijan during the military operations in 1992-1994,
Yeganyan reported.

"We had interviews with 18,091 people and found out that 9,604 of them
would return to their place of residence on their own, whereas 2,604
people (or 1,005 families) clearly stated that they would return home
if appropriate conditions are provided to them," Yeganyan said.

Under the first component of the program, support is to be provided
to an annual of 330 families in returning home. Each family is to get
$600 for establishing a farm and buying cattle, seeds, agricultural
equipment, as well as=2 0a one-time allowance of $105. Transport
costs to be covered are $45 per every member of a family, he added.

Under the second component, partly or completely ruined houses and
apartments of the borderland are to be rehabilitated. Allocations
for 16,433 partly destroyed houses are $1,500 per house or
apartment. $7,700 is to be provided for rehabilitation of each of
completely ruined 1,694 apartments, Yeganyan said.

He also reported that $825,000 is to be spent on settlement of
the territories and $37.7mln for rehabilitation of houses. Under
a government decree, clear instructions are given to respective
government agencies to start seeking for international donors,
Yeganyan said.