Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Deputy Prime Minister’s Office Holds Public Discussion on Kond District Reconstruction Program
On February 24, a public discussion on the Kond District Reconstruction Program was held at the Office of Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan. The discussion was moderated by Head of Tigran Avinyan’s Office Bagrat Badalyan who addressed the meeting with greeting remarks:
“The reconstruction of the Kond district is one of the government’s priorities, and moving this program into an active phase is one of the key components of the Economic Response Program adopted by the government on February 4, 2021. I think that the reconstruction process should be approached from two positions. First, we have to safeguard the District’s cultural heritage and urban flavor. Second, the reconstruction of the area should contribute to the development of the local economy, stimulating chain growth in construction activities, generating new jobs and promoting business opportunities. The above two components should be seen as complementary; neither of them should have precedence over the other.
The purpose of our discussion today is to understand at what stage the program is and what representatives of civil society think about it. As you may know, the tender’s draft concept has been out up for public discussion, and many of the proposals received have been accepted. I think the tender’s draft has benefited from this. It is crucial to ensure active participation of civil society. Any advice or proposal will elp us improve the project.
We have repeatedly stated that the government is keen to provide for the project’s openness and transparency, therefore we need to take public opinion into account when making a decision.”
Urban Development Committee Chairman Armen Ghularyan, government experts, civil society and professional community representatives took part in the discussion. Several Kond residents were in attendance. The speakers practically referred to all the issues related to the reconstruction of the district. The Chairman of the Urban Development Committee presented the provisions specified in the concept. The discussion continued in a question and answer format.
