YEREVAN, JUNE 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA ministry of urban development has 4 priorities in 2008: provision of apartments and certificates for apartment purchase, construction and repairs of educational and cultural facilities, as well as bringing the Armenian norms and standards into line with international ones though control of urban development and specification of the licensing system. According to the minister of urban development Vardan Vardanian, by instruction of the Armenian president a concept has been developed with the aim of solving the housing problems of families left homeless as a result of the earthquake in Gyumri and Spitak. Besides, the concept envisages providing homeless families in the earthqauke zone with apartments by 2013. There are 6,985 homeless families in Armenia, including 4,406 in urban settlements, particularly in Gyumri. V. Vardanian announced that a sitting of the government will be held in Gyumri soon to discuss this concept. This year 395 families purchased apartments with 1 bln 630 mln drams (about 5.3 mln USD) allocated from the state budget, including 169 families left homeless by the 1988 earthquake and 226 refugee families that came to Armenia from Azerbaijan in 1988-1992. The minister said that 232 educational facilities will be repaired this year. 80% of construction work is done in marzes. The Armenian president instructed to completely finish the construction work at all educational facilities, in particular, at comprehensive schools by 2009.

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