TO IMPROVE DEMOGRAPHIC IMAGE

NKR Government Information and
Public Relations Department
March 13, 2009

Yesterday, the first meeting of Standing Supreme Council on Drafting
and Implementation of the NKR Sate Dmographic Policy conducted by
the Chairman of the Council, the Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan,
took place.

Speaking on emergency of Artsakh demographic situation improvement,
the Head of the NKR Government mentioned some facts indicating that a
number of important points, fixed in the NKR President’s pre-election
programme already are made a reality. Though state programmes
being under realization are not still enough for providing radical
changes. The Prime Minister noted that Artsakh remains a country
with a rare population density, in case when the territory is enough
favourable for vital activities. There is a need of up-to-date policy
in that sphere, the Prime Minister stated. He had attached special
importance to anew regulation of the migration process issue. It
is necessary to use existing spare housing stocks of the rural
areas properly, and to realize resettlement in villages of Artsakh
the greater part of which is in need of such "replenishment". The
Prime Minister informed that now, by his instructions, inventory
of all spare housing stocks of the Republic is being carried out,
which with corresponding solutions will serve to those people being
in need of dwelling.

The Deputy Chairman of the Council, the NKR Minister of Welfare
Narine Azatyan has announced separate indices of the present
demographic situation of the NKR. In particular, it was noted that
due to purposeful steps now, in the Republic, tendency of demographic
increase is recorded. According to the data of 2008, more than 140
thousand people were living in Artsakh, which is a record number
beginning from 1995. Though state programmes are aimed not only at a
perspective of having large quantity of population, the state is also
intended to have healthy, educated and advanced generation’s existence
for which parallel social, as well as educational complex measures
must be implemented. These approaches are reflected in the project
of demographic policy, which was drafted by the interdepartmental
working group.

The Prime Minister A.Haroutyunyan had assigned a task to the members
of the council to detailed study of the project and to submit their
mediations and proposals to the working group. They will be taken
into consideration while bringing the project to final state. The
project of the state demographic policy will be adopted at the next
meeting of the council.