THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO WAY TO IRAN VIA SHIKAHOGH RESERVE
YEREVAN, MAY 16. ARMINFO. Ministry of Transport and Communication of
Armenia refuted the information on that the ministry has approved an
alternative project of construction of the motor-road to Iran passing
by the Shikahogh reserve.
Press Secretary of Ministry of Transport and Communication Tamara
Galechian informed ARMINFO, only the possibility of construction of a
highway passing by the reserve was discussed with specialists of the
Ministry of Nature Protection. Galechian informed that the Ministry of
Transport considered irrelevant the construction of a road according to
the project proposed by the Ministry of Nature Protection. The latter
increases the length of the highway by 19.5 km and has 20 sharp turns,
she said. At the same time, as Director of the information-analytic
center of the Ministry of Nature Protection Lev Haroutunian informed
ARMINFO, the ministry of transport and communication of Armenia has
approved the project of construction of a high-way passing by the
Shikahogh reserve. According to him, it was informed during Monday
regular sitting at the Ministry.
At the same tim, WWF made a protest, calling on the world community
to pay attention to the problem. According of WWF representative to
Armenia Karen Manvelian, the financing of the program for restoration
of the population of leopard, as well as other ecological programs are
suspended. Manvelian mentioned that a eries of other international
donors on financing of ecological programs have expressed a protest
against laying of the highway and stopped financing of the projects. In
the estimation of ecologists, the damage from the cutting of the
forest of the reserve will total 8 bln drams.