ArmInfo. Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the Deputy CEO of the French Development Agency (Agence Fran‡aise de D‚veloppement - AFD) Bertrand Walckenaer.
As the government's press service reports, the Prime Minister highly appreciated the cooperation with the French Development Agency and expressed hope that in the near future it will further develop and include other new areas. Nikol Pashinyan noted that Armenia is interested in deepening and expanding cooperation with France in all fields, and in the recent period, consistent steps are being taken in this direction.
Bertrand Walckenaer noted that the Agency plans to expand the directions of cooperation with the Armenian government and the scope of programs, contributing to the development of various infrastructures in Armenia.
During the meeting, issues related to the projects implemented in cooperation with the French Development Agency, including the construction of the Vedi reservoir, were discussed.
On January 26, 2016, in order to finance the construction of a reservoir in Vedi, the French Development Agency allocated a loan of 75 million euros to the Republic of Armenia (co-financing from the Government of the Republic of Armenia will amount to 15 million euros), within the framework of which it is planned to build a reservoir with a volume of 29.4 cubic meters and a water surface of 120 hectares. The sources of water will be the rivers of the Ararat region - Vedi and Khosrov. Full implementation of the program will make it possible to alleviate the problem of water shortage in the Ararat Valley, as well as move from mechanical irrigation to a gravity supply system, which, in turn, will lead to energy savings. The project was initially planned to be completed within four years, but at the end of May 2022, according to the RA government, the project was completed by 77 percent.
The construction of the reservoir is of great strategic importance for Armenia. Turkey previously announced its plans to build large reservoirs on the Araks, which carries risks for the Armenian side in the form of a shortage of irrigation water. Armenia cannot completely neutralize such risks, but the Vedi reservoir will help mitigate the consequences of Turkish water expansion.
