EU Ambassadors on a Two-Day Visit to Syunik

Syunik Province remains a priority within the context of EU–Armenia cooperation. On October 16–17, EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos, together with the Ambassadors of Germany, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Sweden, and Switzerland, the Deputy Heads of Mission of France and the Netherlands, as well as heads of European development agencies and a number of media representatives, visited the Syunik region.

In Syunik, the European Union and its Member States work together under the Resilient Syunik Team Europe initiative. The five-year initiative has a total budget of €200 million, of which €65 million are grants and €135 million are loan funds.

On October 16, the ambassadors visited the village of Balak in the Syunik region, where “The Balak Village Seed Producers and Pasture Users Association” cooperative was established within the framework of the ECOserve programme funded by the Government of Germany. The cooperative is also one of the five beneficiaries under Switzerland’s Forest Restoration and Climate Change in Armenia programme. In 2025, the cooperative cultivated 113 hectares of arable land. Its activities focus on improving fodder production and sustainable pasture management.

Residents of Balak noted that the establishment of the processing facility has also simplified their work logistically, as they no longer have to travel to neighbouring villages for similar operations.

The next stop of the visit was the Sisian branch of the Armenian National Agrarian University, one of the educational institutions to be modernized within the framework of the Resilient Syunik loan programme signed between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Government of Armenia. The Sisian branch is one of six target colleges implementing dual vocational education and training (VET) in agriculture under the MAVETA programme.

During the visit, students presented the ice cream production process to the ambassadors and demonstrated soil sampling and pH testing procedures at Syunik’s only soil analysis laboratory.

Later that day, in Goris, the ambassadors attended the opening ceremony of the Elderly Care Home established by the WINNET Goris Development Foundation. The Center’s mission is to improve the quality of life of elderly residents of Goris, including those displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, by promoting dignified aging and fostering their social inclusion.

The Center was established with funding from the European Union, under which 500 m² of the building were renovated and furnished — including a kitchen, two workshops, and a storage space. The Embassy of Germany in Armenia contributed to partial renovation works and the adaptation of the sanitary facilities.

“This center is a symbol of respect for our senior citizens, recognizing their life experience and contribution. It was established with the firm belief that every elderly person has a story, experience, and ability that enriches our community,” emphasized Ruzanna Torosyan, Executive Director of WINNET Goris Development Foundation.

As part of the Resilient Syunik Team Europe initiative, the ambassadors also visited the Honorary Consulate of France in Goris, which opened in June 2025, to learn about its functions and ongoing activities.

In Goris, the ambassadors also toured the Sante Armenie Neuro-Orthopedic Rehabilitation Center for Adults, where they were introduced to the services of the region’s first social taxi initiative. Opened in November 2021, the neuro-orthopedic rehabilitation center for adults is the first specialized facility of its kind operating in southern Armenia. It provides free, multidisciplinary medical care to individuals who previously had no access to such services in Syunik. The 80 m² center employs kinesiotherapists, a speech therapist, and a psychologist, whose work is supported by European volunteer experts.

Since its opening, the center has provided treatment to more than 460 patients, sparing them the need to travel long distances to Yerevan for specialized care.

During the visit, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos highlighted the importance of inclusion, stating:

“There are no people with disabilities, there are simply people. We are all the same. Everyone deserves to feel at home, to have equal opportunities and rights. Europe stands ready to support Armenia and the region in becoming resilient and inclusive.”

The Center also serves residents of Goris, Tegh, and Tatev communities through the region’s first accessible social taxi service. This service was established under the EU-funded project Partnership for Syunik: Improved Community-Based Social Services, implemented by the NGO People in Need.

The social taxi provides transportation for persons with disabilities to medical consultations and rehabilitation sessions, enhancing their mobility and quality of life.

Reflecting on the initiative, Shushanik Mirumyan, coordinator of the Goris Rehabilitation Center, noted: “Such services help shape a more humane society. Often, what makes our lives easier goes unnoticed, yet it is precisely through these small steps that we create equal opportunities and build a people-centered community.”

The first day of the visit concluded with a working dinner in Goris.

On October 17, the delegation visited the village of Shinuhayr in the Tatev community, where the official opening of the new irrigation system took place. The irrigation network was constructed within the framework of the R2D Syunik – Recovery, Resilience and Development for Syunik programme.

The newly built system will provide irrigation water to all agricultural lands in the Halidzor community, a total of around 55 hectares, benefiting 700 households and 3,378 residents, including refugees and other vulnerable groups. The network’s capacity will be sufficient to fully supply Shinuhayr’s agricultural lands once the internal distribution and connection works are completed.

Later in the day, the ambassadors met with Governor Robert Ghukasyan in Kapan to discuss ongoing and future cooperation under the Resilient Syunik Team Europe initiative. The discussion focused on regional development priorities and the support directed toward local communities.

The two-day journey continued with a visit to the Youth and Children’s Creativity Center in Kapan, which has been upgraded within the EU-funded Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) initiative.

Under this programme, the Center has been equipped with woodcraft, embroidery, and carpet-weaving workshops, promoting the development of new skills and capacities to stimulate local economic activity.

The final visit of the mission also took place in Kapan, to the “I Am Changing” social reintegration programme for former convicts. Within the framework of the EU-funded Partnership for Syunik: Improved Community-Based Social Services project, the programme established a social enterprise – printing house to provide sustainable employment opportunities for individuals released from prison or registered with the probation service.

The initiative also offers psychological counselling, social-legal support, and vocational requalification opportunities, helping around 40 individuals reintegrate into society.

All the visits were held within the framework 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, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EU Member states – Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland also joining as an external partner. The initiative aims to contribute to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the Syunik region.