Forests protected Armenian citizens during difficult times, now it`s  time to protect them - premier 

ArmInfo.  On April 2, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening ceremony of the Tavush regional branch of the Eco-Patrol Service.

According to the government press service, welcoming those present,  Nikol Pashinyan recalled that Tavush is the second region to launch  the Eco-Patrol Service, the first having taken place in Syunik  Province. The Prime Minister emphasized that this process will be  continuous and represents a new stage in Armenia in terms of ecology  and environmental awareness. According to Nikol Pashinyan, forests  protected the country's citizens during difficult times, but now it's  time to protect the forests themselves, but this time in a different  sense.

The head of state believes that today it is necessary to recognize  that forests and nature are priceless treasures. "How we use and  exploit this wealth is another matter. Today, we must understand that  protecting the forest and its well-being will generate millions and  billions of drams in income for the Republic of Armenia and its  people, because nature, above all, already attracts large tourist  flows to the Republic of Armenia," the Prime Minister said,  emphasizing the need to develop infrastructure and ensure investment.  "We are building roads, creating infrastructure, but it is also  important that we truly repay our debt to the forest, so that it  returns to us even more," Pashinyan said.

Referring to cases of illegal logging, the Prime Minister emphasized  that the forest is a tremendous asset that belongs to the country's  citizens and must be treated with care and concern, preserving and  passing on this wealth to future generations.

In this context, he emphasized the importance of the Eco-Patrol  Service's activities. "I am very pleased that this logic and content  are also changing, starting with its appearance and technical  equipment. And, of course, all of this will be in vain and  meaningless if there is no substance behind the appearance, no  dedication, no real service, and no deep understanding of the  important work being carried out. Yes, we must see our goal through  to the end, and illegal logging must end. The creation of the service  will be meaningless unless we clearly formulate this problem and,  moreover, clearly implement it. I want us to very clearly and  unequivocally agree that there can be no compromise. Illegal service  providers and poaching must end, and this requires a very adequate  and strict response to recorded cases," the head of the Armenian  government said.

The Prime Minister was presented with the process of replenishing the  service's technical and human resources. It was noted that the  service has been expanded with 33 new service vehicles (pickup  trucks), fully equipped with modern mobile systems. Twenty of these  vehicles have been additionally equipped with firefighting equipment.  The service includes 128 environmental police officers, who have been  provided with new uniforms and the necessary technical equipment. The  officers have also been provided with tablets equipped with software  for automatically generating violation reports, as well as other  necessary service equipment, such as handcuffs and batons.