STATE MONEY ALLOCATED FOR RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION OF
MONUMENTS HAS TENDENCY FOR DECREASING
02-10-2007 13:35:00 | Armenia | Social
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The sums of the state
budget allocated for the State Agency of Monument Preservation
under the RA Ministry of Culture have a tendency for decreasing.
According to the statement made by Artyom Grigorian, the Head of
the RA State Agency of Monument Preservation, during the meeting
held in the "Pastark" (Argument) club on October 1, 520 million
drams (1.55 million U.S. dollars) will be allocated for the
agency for 2008 instead of the 660 million drams of the previous
year.
Grigorian stated that no means were allocated for this
sphere by the state budget beginning from the 90s and up to
2003. 50 million drams were allocated in 2004, 530 million in
2005, and 720 million in 2006. The allocated sums for this
sphere have started to decrease since 2007.
Artyom Grigorian claimed that the sums received from the
state budget have been directed to the restoration and
preservation of a number of republican monuments and those of
international significance. This year the number of monuments
makes 13.
Artyom Grigorian mentioned that at present there are 24
thousand and 200 historical-cultural monuments in Armenia
according to the list endorsed by the RA government. He also
stated that the monuments left to the preservation of
communities are in a "hard" situation. A corresponding
institution has been created only in the region of Tavush, which
is engaged in monuments. In addition to this, many monuments
appear in private hands during land allocations in many regions.
As a result of this, control over those monuments becomes
impossible. There are also cases, when the territories of the
monuments are used as mines.