New Shelters to be Built in Border Communities: Tsolakyan

The government of Armenia will continue the construction of new civilian shelters in border communities. This was stated today in parliament by the Minister of Emergency Situations, Felix Tsolakyan, during discussions on the 2020 state budget.

Recently, the latest shelter has been completed in the border town of Berd, located in the Tavush region. These shelters are primarily being built in Tavush, where the border stretches the longest. However, in the near future, shelters are also planned to be constructed in other regions, including Vayots Dzor, near the border with Nakhchivan.

In addition, the Ministry of Emergency Situations will also monitor bomb shelters that were built during the Soviet era. Ministry staff have already inspected all such structures in Yerevan and other cities. Many of these have been privatized, while others have remained abandoned for 20 years.

“We need to understand how many of these can be put to use,” said the minister.

It should be noted that if the state budget is approved, the expenditures of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for 2020 will amount to 12.8 billion drams, or about 27 million dollars.