A newly constructed irrigation system serving the Shinuhayr and Halidzor settlements of Tatev community was officially inaugurated on 17 October 2025 in Shinuhayr village, Syunik marz.
The opening ceremony was attended by H.E. Vassilis Maragos, Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Mr. Samvel Lalayan, Head of Tatev Community, Mr. Erwin Kuenzi, Head of Office for Technical Cooperation at the Austrian Embassy in Tbilisi, as well as ambassadors and representatives from EU Member States, local authorities, and implementing partners.
The new irrigation network was constructed within the framework of the R2D Syunik – Recovery, Resilience, Development for Syunik project, part of the Resilient Syunik Team Europe Initiative, funded by the European Union, co-funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation, and implemented by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).
With a total investment of approximately EUR 98,000 (AMD 43.5 million), the system includes a valve junction connecting to the feeder line from the existing pumping station and a 1.1 km high-pressure pipeline linking to the internal irrigation network of Shinuhayr and the distribution reservoir supplying Halidzor.
The newly built infrastructure provides reliable irrigation water to around 3,378 residents, including refugees and other vulnerable populations, and will supply about 55 hectares of agricultural land and 700 households in the community. Once the internal network in Shinuhayr is fully connected, the system will be able to provide irrigation water to all local farmland.
By ensuring a stable water supply, the project aims to strengthen food security, support local agriculture and small businesses, and improve living conditions for the residents of Tatev community.
During the event, participants took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a presentation by Mr. Erwin Kuenzi on the broader infrastructure projects planned under the R2D Syunik project across Syunik marz.
The Resilient Syunik Team Europe Initiative brings together the European Union, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and EU Member States — Austria, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden — with Switzerland joining as an external partner. The initiative aims to promote the sustainable socio-economic and institutional development of Syunik in line with local priorities, with a total budget of approximately EUR 150 million.
