Yerevan City Hall Also to Ban Trade in Pedestrian Underground Crossings

Yerevan City Hall first eliminates street trade in the city, then prepares to improve conditions in the markets, as well as providing alternative venues for vendors, said Hovhannes Ghalechyan with the Department of Trade and Services at Yerevan City Hall, speaking to journalists in Yerevan today.

Also participating in the press conference, Consumers’ Rights Association President Armen Poghosyan, in turn, welcomed the city’s decision to ban street trade and expressed hope the municipality will be consistent in its actions.

“Our city has become an Arab market; let’s ask ourselves a question: that person who is selling herbs on the street, where does she wash up?” he said.

According to Ghalechyan, city hall is currently working toward banning trade in the pedestrian underground crossings as well.

The city hall representative also made a point of noting it’s not that the city prohibits people to sell goods, but rather proposes they do so in the markets and not out on the street.

Dalechyan informed the press that as a result of their monitoring, about 200 street traders are now selling their wares in markets.

Note, it’s already been a month that street traders in Yerevan have been protesting the ban. During numerous protests and demonstrations, they’ve said adequate conditions haven’t been offered to them and, in their opinion, the reason for the ban is to provide Yerevan’ large chain supermarkets with additional customers.