Epress.am News from Armenia
A group called “I am against the demolition of Le Cafe de Paris which has become a part of the city” created on Facebook by a user by the name of Anushik Avetyan has already gathered over 430 members.
As previously reported, city employees on Saturday informed the management of the cafe that the outdoor patio has to be taken down. According to cafe owner Ashkhen (Valerie) Gordzounian, they said if she doesn’t take it down they will. Thus, on the same day cafe staff removed the plastic covering surrounding the outdoor patio, despite protests from the clientele.
“Le Cafe de Paris is one of the only cafes imparting urban culture in the city of Yerevan, and it can’t be demolished. It’s not a small-scale kiosk and not an establishment shooting fireworks and rabiz music. If city hall really made such a decision, then it’s an extreme mistake and a thoughtless decision. Better to begin with demolishing the unsightly buildings in Ring Park, on the Nork Nork road, and in the Hrazdan ravine,” reads the group description.
Cafe owner Ashkhen (Valerie) Gordzounian informed Epress.am that a petition is underway in their cafe.
“I went to city hall yesterday and submitted an application for the mayor to meet with me. Though I left my contact information there, I have not yet received any news from them. But, all the same, I definitely will meet with the mayor,” she said.
One of the members of the Facebook group referenced Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan’s response to him, in which he says that the cafe won’t be shut down.
“Le Cafe de Paris is not being demolished; simply that the owner of Le Cafe de Paris has permission to operate the outdoor patio only in the summer and she has been asked to take down the polyethylene covering. There’s no talk of closing the cafe,” the mayor allegedly said in response to Facebook user Mesrop Asaturyan.