For first half of 2017 investment programs of 1.230bln AMD or $117mln sum has been implemented in Vayots Dzor district.

ArmInfo. Share of Vayoz Dzor in GDP Armenia is 1.2%, said the head of the region Harutyun Sargsyan to Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan. Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan, a meeting was held in the town of Jermuk in the Vayots Dzor district of the republic on July 28 to discuss the progress of the development programs of the district and communities, work carried out and forthcoming plans, according to Armenian Government press service.

Representing social and economic situation in the district and macroeconomic indicators, the Governor of Vayots Dzor district of Armenia Harutyun Sargsyan noted that the district's  share in Armenia's GDP is 1.2%. At the same time, as the governor stressed, the main direction of development of the region's economy is agriculture. In recent years, the area of vineyards and orchards has increased by 248 hectares.  For the current year the region has almost completely switched to gravity irrigation. Promising in terms of development of the sphere are the creation of cooperatives, the stimulation of farms and the creation of intensive orchards.

Based on the instructions of Prime Minister from Vayots Dzor district, 20 investment programs amounting to 2.348 billion  AMDwere submitted, of which the government approved 8, the cost of which is 1.616 billion AMD. A strategy for the development of the region for 2014-2017 has been developed, where priority areas are indicated - agriculture, tourism, and production modernization.

One of the most promising areas of the district's development is the mining industry and energy. In the field of employment of the population of the district, the program of exploitation of the Amulsar gold deposit with a total value of $ 370 million is important. The program will create 1,300 jobs in the construction process (construction will last about 2 years) and 650-700 jobs throughout the entire operation of the field.

The most dynamically is developing sphere of tourism. The number of tourists visiting the region for 2016 was 42 thousand, and in the first half of 2017 the figure reached 20400. In the resort town of Jermuk, investments are planned for $ 10 million, 40 million AMD were allocated from the state budget for carrying out design work.

According to the Governor of Vayots Dzor, the district's  own revenues amounted to 701 million AMD.  For the first half of this year,receipts in the regional budget, compared to the same period in 2016, 16%, the collection was 101.7%. As a result of implementation administrative-territorial changes, 3 enlarged communities-Vayk, Jermuk, Zaritap, have been formed, and this year it is planned to enlarge another 24 communities.

For the first 6 months of 2017 in Vayots Dzor district, investment programs were implemented in the amount of 1.230 billion AMD and $ 117 million, resulting in the creation of 600 new jobs.

The Prime Minister was informed that as a result of the programs on optimization in the sphere of health, 24 million drams were saved, and in the education sphere - 56 million AMD. Karen Karapetyan expressed dissatisfaction with the indicators of the local budget in terms of funds received from the provision of paid medical services. In this regard, he instructed the head of the region to take appropriate measures.