At a meeting held over the weekend with community leaders from southern Kashatagh and the town of Berdzor, NKR President Bako Sahakyan proclaimed, “The liberated territories have existed since the early 1990’s. Today, this region is an established reality according to our Constitution. So long as Artsakh exists, so too will Kashatagh.” He urged those in attendance not to believe the news circulating that the region’s status is temporary. The President expressed the desire that people disregard any such news so that the region can be transformed into a new reality. Such an approach would pave the way for the problems now confronting the region to be resolved quickly. During his visit to the Kashatagh and Nor Shahumyan (Kelbajar) regions President Sahakyan promised that in the next few years development work in the two regions would be greatly increased. He noted that, “In 2009 we plan to investment more than 5 billion drams in Kashatagh development programs.” President Sahakyan added that, “Various work projects have been implemented in Nor Shahumyan this year. At the same time studies for future programs have been carried out and most have been completed.” While meeting with residents in Nor Shahumyan President Sahakyan stated, “We view this area as a strategic region for the country and this will be our approach in the future as well.”