President Sarkissian concluded his visit to Lori marz: We need to have a multipart program of development

President Armen Sarkissian is deeply impressed with the picturesque sites of Lori’s nature. The President told it in the conversation with the journalists during his working visit to Lori.

The President stressed the necessity of encouraging tourism, and especially domestic tourism in the marz and development of infrastructure. “If you live in Yerevan, is there anything better than to go on weekend to Lori marz, or Syunik, Gegharkunik, Gyumri? No, there isn’t,” the President said. “I have been here for two days and got totally recharged because I am in touch with the real nature and exceptional beauty.

In two days, I have had the opportunity to see and enjoy many testimonials of historic value, for instance, the Odzun cloister or Lori Citadel. Many countries would dream of having such a citadel and not only preserve and demonstrate it but also make it attractive for their young people, the nation, and the foreigners. The fact that there was an advanced civilization in Armenia, in Lori in 10th -11th centuries is something which many are unfamiliar with.

Can you have a better time on weekend than submerge in the silence surrounding Dsegh, enjoy fresh air, spend time conversing with friends on poetry and science, and our culture. Dine in Ahnidzor, at Hrant Matevossian’s home with his brother, son, and relatives. To see the “We and our mountains” movie in real life, see the people who inspired Hrant Matevossian. They are real people with their problems. Or you can come to interact with the bright personality of Hovhaness Tumanian, and this is not only about the poet but also about a great personality and a great patriot.”

Urging to spend weekends visiting remarkable places in Armenia, President Sarkissian said that patriotism manifests itself not only in serving the Fatherland or becoming a soldier during a war but also in knowing one’s country.

From the viewpoint of tourism and development in general, President Sarkissian stressed in particular the importance of having good roads. “I was pleased to learn that in two recent months nearly seven thousand people have visited Tumanian’s home-museum and nearly 6,000 of them were schoolchildren. They have come because the roads were built in good time and today that road allows for the schoolchildren to come here,” Armen Sarkissian said. “Yesterday we were in Ahnidzor, and there was no road. Twenty kilometers you have to drive in dust, quivering and shaking but on the other side of the window you see wonderful, untouched nature. The school of Ahnidzor has only twenty pupils, from the first to the ninth grades, while there are nearly three hundred kids in the kindergarten of Dsegh because the road is much better, people have better opportunities.

Over one hundred people live in Ahnidzor. They are just surviving because it is impossible to move back and forth on that road every day. They live in seclusion, in a paradise with a hellish road. For Ahnidzor and surrounding villages a road must be constructed but before that we need to think over how to build a road without damaging the nature.”

Stressing the importance of environmental issues, the President said, “Special efforts should be made lest we cause harm the nature. We need a clear-cut program of what we are doing in the areas of ecology, economy, development, and tourism. We need a clear vision which should be in line with the global development vision. It means that we cannot move in the direction opposite to that of the global development.”

The President of Armenia said that in building our vision, we need to think where the world will be in 20 or 30 years, and where we want to be in that world. “We need a strategy, a program to get there. And that programs needs to be multipart,” President Sarkissian noted. “We, as a nation and a state, need to have a program and need to know precisely where we are headed. That program should be general and national. We need to think big and wide because we are a great nation, a great people.”

President Sarkissian underscored that the road of survival will not get us to development. “We all can deny ourselves certain things in the name of the vision and national program, if we know that tomorrow we will get somewhere, there is a program and we all take up the implementation of that program,” the President said. “Our greatest asset is our Armenian world, the people. Our vision should be based on that. Everything must be developed in Armenia – agriculture, tourism, modern technologies. I propose the following: We need to hold state and national discussions on the vision and our national programs. Everyone should be able to state his or her opinion. When time is right, I will tell you about my vision. Everyone should share his or her vision.”

In that context, the President stressed the importance of developing the area of education. “In education too, conditions should be created for the people to receive benefits fast. Successful individuals very often, as a charity, invest in education. The problem is that these should not be small lakes of excellence; the area of education should become a great sea, then every child from rural areas will be able to receive education adequate or close to that in Yerevan. It brings us back to the same problem – roads, which include also virtual ones. If a village has a high-quality internet, if every kid has a computer and is linked to the national educational program, that kid, who might be living in Dsegh or Ahnidzor, will be able to receive the same education. In the future, the computer will be the main tool in universities, and the lecturer will become a commentator. Universities will seize to be places where information is provided but rather students will attend them to listen to interpretations, analysis, they will learn to analyze,” President Sarkissian said.