Pashinyan: Armenia plans to double forest territories of the republic  by 2050 

ArmInfo. Ecological tasks and in particular the issues of ensuring the conservation and restoration of forests are among the priorities of the Armenian government. This was  stated by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on October 22  at the first ''Forest Summit: Global Action and Armenia'' organized  by the Armenia Tree Project and the Hakobyan Environmental Center of  the American University in Armenia.

According to Pashinyan, unfortunately, Armenia has long faced the  challenge of reducing the viability of forest areas. This negative  phenomenon, as the prime minister pointed out, originated in the  first years of independence of Armenia, in particular due to problems  in the energy sector. Then, such a thing as global climate change was  added to this factor. "It is known that environmental problems never  arise in isolation, they always have a global impact, and therefore  require joint solutions," he said.

According to the head of government, many international partners of  Armenia have already developed and implemented sustainable and  effective programs to overcome global environmental challenges.   According to Pashinyan, the Armenian experience may also be of  interest to many.

In particular, thanks to the Armenia Tree Project, over 6 million  trees have been planted over the past 25 years. "However, the  program's scope is not limited to this: serious investments have been  made in the development of rural communities, jobs have been created  and educational programs have been implemented. I am convinced that  the Armenia Tree Project will continue to contribute to the  sustainable development of the country," the prime minister said. He  expressed hope that the Armenia Tree Project will also take part in  the implementation of the strategic program to double the forest  territories of Armenia by 2050.

Nikol Pashinyan reminded the participants of the conference about the  initiative of the RA government to plant 10 million trees in October  2020. "I hope the initiative will be the first significant event in  this direction," he said. In addition, as Pashinyan pointed out,  recently the government of the republic allocated 424 million drams  for the program on reforestation of Armenia, which will be launched  before the end of the year. Thus, as the prime minister pointed out,  by the end of 2019, about 500 thousand seedlings will be planted on  140 hectares. The program will create about 1 thousand jobs,  currently more than 500 jobs remain vacant: 300 jobs in the Lori  region, 200 in Tavush and 50 in Syunik. "So, dear compatriots who  want to join the process on a reimbursable basis, please contact the  regional department of Armforest SNCO," Pashinyan said.

In order to ensure the preservation of forests, as the head of  government emphasized, the new government introduced significant  changes to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses,  increasing sanctions for illegal tree felling. According to him,  these measures are unprecedented and testify to the commitment of the  Armenian government to the preservation and restoration of forests.   Expressing special gratitude to the American philanthropist, public  figure and president of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian  Assembly of America Carolyn Mugar for the establishment of the  Armenia Tree Project, Nikol Pashinyan said that in connection with  the 25th anniversary of the program, a decision was made to create a  Mugar Square in Margahovit forest.

To recall, on October 16, when speaking the "Global Innovation  Forum-2019", the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated:  "Our government has developed an ambitious program that should reach  its peak on October 10, 2020. On this day we plan to plant 10 million  trees in the country - on the 10th day of the 10th month, which will  mark the solidarity of 10 million Armenians around the Armenian  statehood and Armenia. "