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Ministry of Nature Protection.

When a massive fire erupted at Armenia’s Khosrov Forest State Reserve we sent a letter to the Ministry of Nature Protection. The reply did not come late, asking us to ‘sign and then resend it’. However, one day later, the Minister of Nature Protection replied to the questions of the Facebook users, naturally ‘without signatures’.

Certainly, it is possible to resubmit the request via the email of media outlets with a signature or send it via Facebook without any signature. However, a question rises here – what is the point of all this?

Therefore, we publish the questions, drawing the attention of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Government on the voiced issues. Let our readers be the judge of them.

Questions regarding the massive fire erupted at the Khosrov Forest State Reserve.

1. What additional measures have been taken in the reserve following the alert issued by the Armenian State Hydrometeorological and Monitoring Service at the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) over the high risk of fire across the country?

2. What firefighting measures are taken in general?

3. Pursuant to the Russian law, the firefighting conditions and measures are enshrined in legislation. Please point out the similar law in the Armenian legislation if it exists?

4. The Open Internet Newsletters feature a 2005 Government document on allocation of funds for construction of firefighting roadways. Do those roads exist, and what is the reason if they do not?

5. What additional resources were provided to the reserve to conduct firefighting works? If they were not provided has the reserve submitted the list of the necessary measures to receive financial support for them?

6. What programs will be drawn up to restore the forest reserve and who will coordinate the activities?

Thus, I am going to make up a list of the ‘works’ of ministries with media outlets. Evidently each subsequent minister does not consider his office as the successor of the state structure, failing to take responsibilities. Otherwise, instead of demanding the signed copy of the letter, it would study the issues, especially the one related to the fire roads and the funds allocated for their construction.

Moreover, a simple question rises over the claims that the reserve must not be artificially regenerated: can it be burnt but never restored?

No one suggests planting palmas, thujas or tulips. Simply study the flora of the fire-hit area and help the nature regenerate. Eventually Armenian king Khosrov founded 'Khosrovakert' forest artificially, by ‘filling it with animals and birds’, which took place in the remote ‘barbaric’ 4th century.

Anahit Voskanyan