YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Nature Protection Artsvik Minasyan presented the programs the Ministry is going to carry out in near future, reports “Armenpress”.

The Minister said the funds from the state budget are not enough to solve the existing issues in the sector, thus the Ministry makes efforts for receiving donor support from international organizations.

“We expect to reach the number of donor programs to 40, including the targeted programs as well. We plan to strengthening the economic potential of protected areas. I mean clean, environmentally preferable economic potential, such as ecotourism and the organization of adequate services”, he said.

Another important service, according to the Minister, is the proper use of existing resources, such as the monuments of the nature. “We are planning to carry out a very important initiative. That is the involvement of the private sector to the solution of environmental issues both as a business and as a social program. We aim to involve the business into important protected areas where there is a need to establish good infrastructures, however, there is a lack of necessary state resources on maintaining and developing them. Here we want to involve the private sector to give the management to them in a certain period of time, which of course, will operate in line with environmental standards. And the state will have the power to control the process, to prevent violations, as well as to ensure improvements”, Artsvik Minasyan said.

Another key direction mentioned by the Minister is the implementation of regional projects with Georgia and Iran. He said this will significantly change the public’s views on environment.

“We want to reach the point that the tourist who freely visits Georgia, can visit Armenia in the same way, can spend money here, then can go to Iran, and thus return to home country. But he/she must have preferred environment for his/her rest”, the Minister said adding that there are many projects which are planned to be implemented.