ArmInfo. Artsvik Minasyan, Armenian Nature Protection Minister thinks that it is impossible to release more water from Lake Sevan , even for energy purposes, he stated during a press conference on May 10. Earlier, Armenian Government instructed 3 ministries (Ecology, Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources, Agriculture) to learn the possibility of increasing the water supply inlet from the Sevan from the previously adopted rate of 170 million cubic meters m to 1 billion cubic meters during coming next 3 years, for the development of hydropower and agriculture.
According to Artsvik Minasyan, the department got acquainted with colleagues' offers, but for the moment Protecture Ministry has a negative position, as there are no economy basements for water supply inlet extents increasing from the Sevan. "The Ministry considers Lake Sevan as a strategic water resource, which value goes above possible benefit from additional energy power and harvest. We are ready to discuss, but we should see more detailed basement for it", he stated.
Besides, according to the Minister, Nature Protection Ministry by the end of the year plans to present a legislative package on Sevan National Park protection, the creation of specially protected areas and Formation of the biosphere reserve on the basis of the National Park. According to him, the draft package is already prepared, they assume serious changes in the regime of the Sevan protection and coastal zones. The package of relevant changes was presented to the Parliament of the previous convocation, but the parliamentarians did not have time to discuss it. "We hope that the new Parliament will be able to consider these drafts so that they will enter into force at least until by the end of the year," the Minister said.