During his working visit to Gyumri on 3 February 2017, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Armenia announced the launching of a rehabilitation programme on Kumayri Historic Centre. This programme includes several historic districts between the Shiraz and Varpetats streets of Gyumri formed in the early 19th century. The same area was selected by the COMUS Gyumri Local Stakeholder Group in summer 2016 as a heritage-led rehabilitation project for the Project Phase. 

The programme was presented at Gyumri Technology Centre and is based on several studies carried out in Gyumri, including Preliminary Technical Assessments and Feasibility Studies developed by the COMUS local and international experts.

The Kumayri Historic Centre Rehabilitation programme will be a unique public-private partnership initiative set up to develop tourism in the second largest city of Armenia. In this regard, the Prime Minister in his speech stated that the programme ”will generate jobs and bring economic effect. But what matters most is that this programme will change the atmosphere in Gyumri”.