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Armenia is going to take a loan of 13 million 400 thousand euros from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to improve its lifeline road network, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan told lawmakers on Friday.

Speaking at the parliamentary debates on the ratification of the Second Additional Financing of the Lifeline Road Network Improvement loan agreement between Armenia and the IBRD, the minister said that the agreement signed in October 2019 covers a part of a 450-kilometer-long road subject to improvement.

According to Papikyan, if the agreement is ratified by the parliament, 12 roads with a length of about 65 km in Aragatsotn, Armavir, Ararat, Gegharkunik, Lori, Shirak and Syunik Provinces will be repaired.

"A number of tenders have already been announced for four roads. Under to the current program, a total of 23.1 km of roads have been repaired in Gegharkunik, Armavir and Syunik Province, while 41.9 km of more roads will be repaired as part of this project,” the minister said.

My Step faction MP Anush Begloyan inquired about the principle of picking the roads that need to be improved.

In response, Suren Papikyan said that the roads were selected jointly with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

"The ministry had no interference in that stage. The construction projects of those roads had already been outlined. But I can assure that not a road will be repaired or rebuilt if there is no such need. In fact, these are lifeline roads,” Papikyan stressed.