During yesterday’s meeting with Ministry of Environment officials, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan said the country has a long way to go to meet the environmental challenges it faces.

“We must regretfully admit that our country’s adherence to the aforementioned standards is far from being satisfactory, and we are actually facing serious challenges in this field,” Pashinyan told ministry officials, adding that the country must find a balance between economic development and environmental protection.

Pashinyan then spoke about the government’s project to clean up Lake Sevan and regulate fishing.

He claimed that poaching has been reduced by 75% and that the lake’s level has been the highest in the past five years.

Turning to Armenia’s forests, Pashinyan said that illegal deforestation remains high and that the government is pondering the possibility of introducing a 24-hour security service in some areas.

Pashinyan was told that by reducing the scope of inflated payrolls in the sector and introducing a new model of savings and efficient management, the ministry will be able to raise salaries of about 970 Hayantar staff on March 1, 2021.

Ministry officials talked about the ongoing wildlife protection and anti-poaching campaign that plans to take stock of wild animals and compile a registry.

Significant changes will be made in the field of hunting, and the ministry has floated the idea of developing hunting farms. 

The issue of effective management of water resources, inclusive of the underground basin and deep wells in the Ararat Valley was raised during the consultation.