The Government of the Republic of Armenia

Dear Construction Workers,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I warmly congratulate you on your professional holiday – Construction Worker’s Day and wish you all robust health and every success.

Any professional holiday is a good opportunity for praising the experts, as well as speaking about shortfalls openly and publicly.

I want to emphasize that construction inclusive of public sector activities provides for a significant share in the GDP and provides for a tangible amount of budget revenue. Your efforts give birth to more beautiful, more durable and more reliable residential buildings, as well as public, cultural, health care and sporting facilities, bridges and roads.

The building sphere of republic has finished the last year with appreciable enough results. It concerns to the construction which is carried out both on budgetary funds, and due to a private sector. Work of huge scale is done in a direction of school construction, is especial in areas, numerous public health, cultural, sports objects are constructed or repaired.

You may be aware of those ambitious programs formulated for this year. However, the global financial and economic crisis forced us to reconsider them. Some activities have been carried over to the end-of-year. Nevertheless, I am convinced that owing to my government’s anti-crisis action, we will be able to minimize losses.

I do believe that crisis is just the moment for flexible thinking, as well as for courageous and ambitious projects. Recently the Government approved a program on launching a tourism center on the basis of Tatev monastic complex. The establishment of an agro-tourism hotel complex in Gokht community is under design. You may be well aware of successful implementation of development programs available for Jermuk, Dilijan, Tsahkadzor. Financing sources have already been identified, corresponding timetables are out, and I do not see any obstacle for their realization.

Dear builders!

I am convinced that you will henceforth be as much hard-working, account taken of today’s challenges which imply efforts in the direction of well-balanced territorial development, dealing with ill-managed urbanization of the country, as well as the restoration of architectural heritage and cultural - historical environment in our towns.

You are entrusted the serious task of providing housing in the disaster zone, improving living standards for vulnerable households and offering higher quality of life for the population as a whole.

Once again, I congratulate you and wish you all creativity and purposefulness in your difficult, but highly appreciated mission of providing the population with high-quality, earthquake-resisting and reliable buildings.

Thank you.