18:07,

YEREVAN, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan received Christine Weigand, Representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to Armenia, ARMENPRESS was infomred from the Government of Armenia. 

Welcoming those present, Deputy Prime Minister Khachatryan highly appreciated the role of the Foundation in solving problems related to the protection of children's rights in Armenia, improvement of their health, education and living conditions.

Referring to the need for continuous improvement of the educational environment, the Deputy Prime Minister presented the ongoing and planned works of construction and repair of preschools and schools, as well as the re-equipment of existing educational institutions, emphasizing the cooperation with the Foundation in the direction of continuous improvement of the quality of educational services. The interlocutors also exchanged thoughts on the current legislative initiatives related to children's rights, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in their development.

Deputy Prime Minister Khachatryan informed the guests about the humanitarian crisis resulted by the ongoing blockade of Nagorno Karabakh by Azerbaijan, specifically referring to the severe consequences for the 30,000 children living there. In this context, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the importance of the organization's more active involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh in order to protect the rights of all children in accordance with its mandate and mission and to provide special protection for children in the most vulnerable situations.

Christine Weigand highly appreciated the effective cooperation with the Armenian government aimed at strengthening children's rights, expressing confidence in its continuation in accordance with the priorities of bilateral cooperation.