YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. Meghri community of Syunik province has donated an area located 500km away from the Armenian-Iranian border checkpoint to the ministry of nature protection, reports Armenpress.

Hovhannes Hovhannisyan – chief of staff of the ministry of nature protection, told reporters that the space can expand if necessary. “We plan to construct there the administrative building of Arevik national park”, he said. “This year we are planning to implement the building’s designing works and will launch the construction works in late 2018 or early 2019. The Arevik national park in Meghri community should have its administrative building. The area has been provided to the ministry”.

Aram Aghasyan – head of the specially protected areas of the Nature Protection Bioresources Management Agency, said according to the interstate agreements signed in 2012 Armenia and Iran reached an agreement to establish a center for visitors.

“The ministries of nature protection of Armenia and Iran have signed an agreement which aimed at creating a friendship and peace park in the transboundary protected area. The Iranian side has already created a space for the expected visitors, and the center for visitors in Armenia’s territory will be established within the frames of the Assistance to Protected Areas program. It later also can serve for the cooperation, and its last stage supposes creating a biosphere protection place jointly with the Iranian side”, Aghasyan said, adding that scientific trips are also expected to be conducted within the framework of the cooperation.

The construction of the Arevik national park’s administrative building is scheduled to be completed in 2019-2020.

English –translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan