TO MAKE USE OF FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS

NKR Government Information and Public Relations Department
March 25, 2009

The NKR Government has planned to call outgoing sessions in the
regional centres of the Republic during the forthcoming weeks. Today,
the first meeting of this kind has taken place in Askeran. Executives
of the region and community heads participated in the session together
with Government members.

In his opening speech, the Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan attached
importance to such a meeting observing it as a fine opportunity of
direct cooperation between the Executive, regional administrative
bodies and the activists.

At the session Vahram Baghdasaryan, head of Askeran regional
administration, rendered an account on the activity of the structure
for 2008. Detailed information, concerning the socio-economic and
demographicstate, legal issues, cultural, educational and other
problems of vital importance recorded in the region last year,
were provided. In 2008, heavier crop was gathered in the region than
last year. There is an obvious tendency of carrying out agricultural
works; however, there are still many privatized lands, which are not
cultivated yet. Rural inhabitants are not sufficiently informed about
the implemented state agricultural programmes.

Only 19 from 42 communities have collected the private incomes
anticipated for the year. The problem of paying off of overdue credits
remains an urgent one, the debtors of the region must still repay
about AMD 120mln to the state. According to the reporter, the sphere
of cattle-breeding is not secure; the irrigation system needs to be
fully operated.

Touching upon the works implemented in the previous year, Prime
Minister A.Haroutyunyan noted that the results of the overall activity
on a regional scale are still far from the desired level. "Askeran
has quite favourable conditions for an efficient economic activity in
comparison with other regions, and the inhabitants should make maximal
use of this circumstance",- the Prime Minister underlined. He called
the community heads to focus their attention mainly on the agricultural
activity of the inhabitants, to support them achieving serious results
through using their abilities and taking advantage of the broad
state support. Under present financial and economic hard conditions
it is especially important for the villagers to take advantage of the
provided opportunities to the maximum and to solve the major part of
the existing problems by themselves,- A.Haroutyunyan stated.

At the meeting the participants directed their questions to Government
members and got clarifications.

After the session representatives of the Executive were present at
the opening of newly constructed building of Askeran Municipality and
got familiarized with the working conditions. Then, Prime Minister
A.Haroutyunyan visited one of main building sites of Askeran. Here
a building for 520 pupils is being constructed. The head of the
Government discussed the process of construction works and the
opportunities of modernizing the building with the project owners.

The next working meeting of the Prime Minister again took place in
the hall of Askeran regional administration. This time he informed
the community heads about the hypothecary crediting initiated for
villages. A.Haroutyunyan reminded that the crediting programme is not
a social one, so that solvent and honest villagers can make use of it.

Clarifications on hypothecary crediting were presented to the
participants of the meeting by the Executive Director of Artsakh
Investment Fund K.Yesayan.

The Vice-Premier S.Tevosyan was present at the conference.