Community development program launched in Tatev (video, photos)

Yesterday, on October 14, along with the United Nations Development Program and the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia launched the Community development program in Tatev.
As the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia CEO Arman Khachaturyan mentioned, the goal of the program is the restoration and preservation of historical and cultural heritage, the revelation and the balanced development on the grounds of target application of new tourism values.
The program is aimed at ensuring the restoration of the 9th century Tatev monastic complex and its surrounding areas. This program also includes the eight rural communities around the monastery," said Arman Khachaturyan in the interview with journalists.
The festive launch of the program was attended by “Tatev Monastery” abbot Reverend Father Michael Kevorkian, who blessed and wished success to this process.
The Community development program in Tatev designed to build a retail market of agricultural products, which will allow local residents to sell their products to tourists without a mediator. At present the tourists in Tatev rush to return back because of the lack of places to spend a night. Therefore, the residents of the community will be given the chance to improve their living standards, adapt them to the standards of tourism houses and dispose them to tourists, thus stimulating the development of tourism, the drainage system of the community and the water supply problems are to be improved as well.
The launching ceremony was also attended by the United Nations Development Program Country Office Representative Hripsime Manukyan, who, stressing the importance of the program, considered it as a stimulating measure of comprehensive development.
"We disclose to community needs, determine their priorities and select a strategy. Classify the disclosed prblems in accordance with their infrastructure, income creating programs, but only those which are aimed at the development tourism,” she mentioned.
One of the villagers stated in the interview with a lurer.com journalist that the implementation of this program may cause a creation of jobs for the youth in the village, so they won’t leave their already “dying” village.

by Nelly Avetisyan and Azatuhi Araskhanyan

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