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Chaired by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a consultation was held on Tuesday to discuss issues related to the current situation in the vicinity of Lake Sevan, as well as the prospects and opportunities for tourism development. The PM noted that Lake Sevan and the national park are very important not only from ecological, but also from the economic and value points of view.

According to Pashinyan, it is necessary to understand the problems preventing the development of tourism on the territories close to Lake Sevan and address them step by step. In particular, questions were raised about imperfect infrastructures, improper organization of garbage collection, lack of a uniform beach, the presence of illegal buildings, the discrepancy between the quality of services provided and the actual prices, the level of organization of public beaches.

An importance was attached to zoning areas adjacent to the lake and the development of a master plan, the PM’s official website reported.

It was proposed to consider the possibility of creating an alley at the first stage of landscaping. PM Pashinyan welcomed the idea. He noted that the issues raised were due to systemic problems and instructed Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan to hold another discussion with the stakeholders in the context of the announced proposals and report on the results.

Summing up, the prime minister instructed Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Suren Papikyan to stay focused on garbage collection.

“The issue of garbage disposal is a big problem in these territories, though it is not unsolvable. It is obvious that the community of Sevan and the National Park will be able to deal with this problem by increasing the efficiency of their work. This means that people also need visual rest.

“The next important problem is as follows: we need to check the lease agreements: there are people who for reasons known to us and you have managed to conclude contracts at ridiculous prices, paying a penny for a hectare. It is necessary to find out the legal groundwork, reconsider the contract terms, bring them all to the proper standard and apply a principle. The rent of territories should become a serious source of income for the national park. There are numerous problems that need to be addressed.

“I asked the director of the National Park to provide a certificate about all landlords, including the mansions that appeared on these territories and their legitimacy. We also need to understand the fate of these mansions, some of them, of course, will be engaged in law enforcement, but question is mostly about the proper collection of rent,” Pashinyan said.