Monday, 21 April 2008
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan visited the RA ministries of nature protection, labor and social affairs, health care, energy and natural resources and introduced to their respective staffs newly appointed ministers Aram Harutyunyan, Aghvan Vardanyan, Harutyun Kushkyan and Armen Movsisyan.
Introducing Aram Harutyunyan who has recently been re-appointed RA Minister of Nature Protection under a presidential decree, and congratulating him on his appointment, the head of the Armenian government said in particular:
"Nature protection is a specific field of activity. There is always controversy about whether it is the right time to pay attention to environmental problems as economic growth and industrial development are deemed to be of primary importance at this stage. I feel those present cannot agree with such a standpoint, and serious work has to be done here."
Priorities for your ministry have been given a detailed description in the government program. I would like to refer to a key issue, namely that of environmental education. What matters most is that our citizens should be exponents of environmental culture. Otherwise we cannot expect to succeed in environmental questions. In this respect, your primary task is the formation of an educational system inclusive of training, retraining, refreshment and modernization, as well as networking components so as environmental culture can take root from schools and high schools on a continuous basis in the Republic of Armenia. I consider it a strategic issue: should we succeed in this area, it would be easier for us to address all the other priorities. I think the ministry has already built up a considerable potential - intellectual capital first of all. I am confident that through joint efforts, we will be able to address this crucial part of the government program. We must introduce the best of environmental standards in Armenia and ensure strict compliance with them. Natural disasters are much easier to prevent rather than to overcome their consequences. I believe that if we introduce and enforce the right standards in all the fields first of all, we will save significant part of resources spent in the aftermath of emergencies. It is a delusion that environmental problems should be relegated to a second plan in Armenia: I cannot agree with this standpoint as this can bring about catastrophic consequences for nature and wildlife, the public health that may appear to be impossible to recover subsequently. Therefore, we must be vigilant from the very outset. I wish you success in this field and I am convinced that the foregoing issues will be addressed under the management of Mr. Harutyunyan."
