Deputy Minister of Environment Aram Meymaryan, Senior Project Portfolio Manager of the German Bank for Rehabilitation Loans (KfW) Frank Mörschl and Project Manager of "PTAS-Armenia" Michel Blimrieder
In the framework of the visit to Syunik, accompanied by Arman Mkrtchyan, director of the "Zangezur Biosphere Complex" SNOC, visited the areas of the projects implemented in the Syunik marz within the framework of the "Protected Areas Support Program-Armenia" (PTAS-H) program.
The goal of the "Protected Areas Support Program-Armenia" project is to improve the management of natural resources and protected areas in the southern part of Syunik region, as well as the socio-economic condition of the surrounding communities, thus reducing the anthropogenic pressure on nature.
The goal of the project is also to contribute to the preservation of the biodiversity of the South Caucasus in the long term, without having a negative impact on the income and standard of living of the population of the rural communities.
The visit started in Tatev community, where two greenhouse farms were built by the NGO "Partnership and Training" within the framework of the small grant component, in one of which the beneficiaries grow vegetables, and in the second, landscaping plants (flowers, herbs, bushes).
  The visit of the deputy minister and his colleagues continued to Shikahogh and neighboring communities located in the buffer zone of the "Shikahogh" state reserve, where heat-insulating windows of up to 9 sq.m., as well as solar water heaters and energy-efficient stoves were provided to households living permanently as part of the component of increasing energy efficiency.
The municipality of Kapan received grant funds for the purchase of a garbage truck and 56 containers in order to organize a garbage collection system for the 7 target settlements of the project.
 The visit ended in the Agarak community, where a parking lot and an agricultural market were built in the framework of the "Protected Areas Support Program-Armenia" project adjacent to the Meghri customs post and near the M-2 interstate road.
As part of his visit to Syunik, the deputy minister also met with Syunik Marz Governor Robert Ghukasyan, Meghri Community Head Bagrat Zakaryan and Kapan Community Head Gevorg Parsyan.
During the meetings, KfW representatives also informed about the new project "Biodiversity and sustainable local development in Armenia", the budget of which was provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through KfW. The signing of the contract is expected in the near future, and it will start during this year.
Syunik is one of the places of implementation of the new project, and its focus will be both the forest and the management plans of the protected areas, the renovation of administrative buildings, the work carried out in the direction of raising awareness, local sustainable development and tourism.