Illumination project for the streets of the borderland communities continues

Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets, the two organizations that develop infrastructures in Armenian regions, continue the construction and development works despite the challenges of 2020, despite the partners were forced to accustom the working methods and make unplanned situational decisions due to military actions in July, pandemic and the war, which started in September. Moreover, they included in the project the communities, which had suffered a lot due to the July military actions.

Aygepar, which is situated 1.5 km from state borders, was included in the infrastructure development project in September. The outdoor LED lighting system is an important part of ensuring the basic needs and safety of the local population. Currently, the pillar installation works are in the process. Project implementers put every effort to provide outdoor illumination by the end of the year. 25 lights will be installed in the settlement, which will cover around 900m of road area.

“The pillars are installed only 1.5 km far from the military positions of the enemy. It’s not easy, as you never know when the shooting will start. We had quite serious damages in the village three months ago. Despite the borderland danger, we must develop our village. As long as we live in this village, we need to work and continue our life: nobody left the village after the recent military actions. We need to stand firmly on our land, become more strong and have more people in here, to be able to withstand the coming challenges,” said the acting administrative head of Aygepar settlement Arkadi Yamukyan.

An energy-saving street lighting system has been built in another border village of the Tavush region, Vazashen. Only the central street of the village was lit with efficient, but mostly with very old lamps. Now, the most energy-efficient LEDs have been installed from the village entrance to the center. In the last stage of the project, 40 lights were installed illuminating around 1500 m.

"The year created way too difficult problems for all of us. We had to limit ourselves to communicating remotely and to overcoming the serious challenges and problems we all encountered. Nevertheless, we had a goal, and along with our partners we became more determined to be useful to our compatriots who live on the border. Good and hard work, and the necessity to succeed should turn into a lifestyle. And it is a must required by the time we have, problems we encounter and the future," said Viva-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

Works on infrastructure development in regions, including installation of LED lights, are implemented in accordance with program preliminary agreed between partners.

It was very hard to implement the project during the wartime. We stopped the working process in the first days of the war, which escalated in September. We did not understand if it was possible to continue working or not. Most of the key specialists volunteered and went to the front. We carried out the work involving additional manpower from the villages. If I try to estimate, the program was implemented fairly quickly,” said the coordinator of the project, Martin Maralchyan.

The construction works are finished in Vazashen and the system is launched. Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) continue the implementation of all projects as planned.

 bout Viva-MTS

Viva-MTS (MTS Armenia CJSC) is Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator, having the widest network reach and spreading a wide range of Voice and Data services all across Armenia. Having the best of the Armenian people interest at heart since its launch on the 1st of July Y2005, and in a short period of time, Viva-MTS has managed to build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base. Viva-MTS drives innovation and aims at always being at the forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile communications market.  The company follows the guidance provided by ISO 26000 (International Standard of Social Responsibility) and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 (Information Security Management System). For more information, visit www.mts.am

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ("MTS") is the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed voice, broadband, pay TV as well as content and entertainment services in one of the world's fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group services over 86.8 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Armenia and Belarus. Since June Y2000, MTS' Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about the MTS Group can be found at: www.mtsgsm.com

About FPWC

The Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) was founded in Y2002. FPWC is a member organization of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since Y2012. FPWC’s mission is to publicize the unique natural heritage of Armenia and the importance of biodiversity conservation, environmental issues and the importance of preserving nature. We aim to reduce human and wildlife conflict and its consequences to reduce the risks of endangered species of flora and fauna. Biodiversity conservation, environmental education, community development and public awareness are the main directions of our activities.

About “Eco Villages Network” project

Eco villages network includes selected intentional or traditional communities throughout Armenia, that are consciously designed through locally owned, participatory processes to regenerate their social, cultural, economic and natural environments. The core idea behind the whole concept of the ecovillages is integrating the four dimensions of sustainability – ecological, economic, cultural and social – through integral, participatory design. The project is a new format of the long-term cooperation between the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), VivaCell-MTS and the Global Ecovillages Network (GEN) in the field of environmental protection and sustainable use of natural resources.