On June 29, Prime Minister of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan received representatives of the Children of Armenia Fund led by the organization’s founder and board chairman Garo Armen. The representatives are in Artsakh as part of a two-day humanitarian mission.

The Fund’s advisor John Evans was also part of the delegation.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the implementation of the Fund’s humanitarian programs in Artsakh for educational and healthcare purposes. The programs will be geared at taking care of the medical needs of those who were displaced from villages after the events that took place in April, as well as wounded soldiers and civilians.

Greeting the guests, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for their ongoing support to Armenia and Artsakh and attached importance to the Fund’s educational and healthcare programs being carried out in rural settlements.

“Large-scale programs have been carried out to improve conditions in the education and healthcare sectors in Artsakh, but it is necessary to apply modern methods to ensure quality, and you try to ensure that quality through your programs,” Harutyunyan said.

The head of state expressed special attitude towards the Fund’s advisor John Evans who, according to the Prime Minister, carries out the mission of an Armenian ambassador at the global level. “I am certain that your name will have a special place in the pages of Armenian history,” the Prime Minister said as he addressed Evans.

Chairman of the board of the Fund Garo Armen presented the Fund’s programs and attached importance to the SMART initiative, which is aimed at ensuring progress in rural settlements through the use of state-of-the-art technologies. The sides reached an agreement on implementing it as a pilot program in Artsakh. By the proposal of the Prime Minister, one of the rooms of the new community centers in the villages of the Artaskh Republic will be allocated for installing the necessary state-of-the-art technological devices and for using it for its purpose.

Several issues related to the implementation of other possible programs in the education and healthcare sectors were also discussed during the meeting. The sides particularly agreed on organizing training courses for the nurses of rural clinics and the summer vacation of schoolchildren.

Minister of Education, Science and Sport of the Artsakh Republic Slavik Asryan, Minister of Health Karine Atayan and Chief of Staff of the Government-Minister Levon Grigoryan were also participating in the meeting.