Yesterday a youth work camp opened in the village of Vank, located in the Martakert region of Karabakh. The project, jointly organized by the NKR Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs and benefactor Levon Hayrapetyan, is totally financed by the latter's Atavankles company.

The first group of 30 young people to spend time at the camp hail from Stepanakert and other regions of the NKR. They will work in the village for ten days after which a new batch of campers will arrive. There will be 5-6 such teams of campers at the site this year. On hand for the camp's opening ceremonies were newly appointed NKR Culture and Youth Affairs Minister Narineh Aghabalyan and Minister for Education and Science Vladik Khachatryan. In her welcoming address to the campers, Minister Aghabalyan said that the camp is reviving the best tradition of the Soviet era when youngsters would spend their summer vacations by relaxing as well as carrying out important civic work.

"Today, you are lucky enough to be spending part of your vacation in a free and independent Artsakh and to work for our country," she said. Minister Khachatryan also announced that on July 5 a military training camp would be opened in the Askeran region to be attended by 11th grade male students from the NKR.