Yerevan /Mediamax/. Today representatives of Armenia and the European Union announced in Yerevan about the launch of the Resilient Syunik Team Europe Initiative.

The Resilient Syunik Team Europe initiative is the joint undertaking of the European Union, the European Investment Bank and EU Member States Austria, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden, with Switzerland also joining as an external partner.

“The European Union is committed to working together with the Armenian Government for the development of the regions that are in most need for support,” Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin said.

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan said:

“I would like to thank the European Union and the EU member states for all the programs and efforts implemented particularly in Syunik in this difficult period full of challenges for Armenia. Syunik is really vital for our country, so any project aimed at sustainable development of the region is in the centre of special attention of the Government. Moreover, the current geopolitical developments further emphasize the strategic role of Syunik, including on the way to building sustainable peace in the region.”

The Resilient Syunik Team Europe initiative has an approximate five-year budget of initially €51 million. It is a flexible mechanism, which can be further expanded and is open for EU Member States to join with new initiatives to promote the development of the Syunik region, the EU Delegation reported.

The launch event was concluded with signature of two contracts for projects to be implemented under the initiative.  

The “R2D Syunik: Recovery, Resilience, Development for Syunik’’ project is co-funded by the European Union and the Austrian Development Cooperation and implemented by the Austrian Development Agency. The EUR 11 mln project aims to enhance competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and to support rehabilitation of sustainable small-scale community infrastructure in Syunik. Implementation of the 60 months long project starts in January 2023.

The “Partnerships for Syunik. Enhanced Community-based Social Services’’ project is co-funded by the European Union and implemented by People in Need, Caritas Armenia and Winnet Armenia. The EUR 1.6 mln project aims to contribute to delivery of financially sustainable community-based social services in Syunik through effective cooperation of civil society and local authorities. Implementation of the 36 months long project starts in February 2023.