MP Anahit Bakhshyan Promised to Raise Our Concerns in Parliament, Say Protesting Homeowners

Homeowners promised apartments in the new buildings constructed on Aram, Buzand, Yekmalyan and Saryan streets, who say they’ve sent 10 letters to different state agencies, including the Ministry of Justice, Yerevan City Hall, as well as the president, continued their protests today outside the Armenian government building. The homeowners say the issue hasn’t been resolved yet and no state body or official has replied to their letters.

One of the protestors, Anahit Poghosyan, told Epress.am that the Ministry of Finance’s chief adviser, Hayk Davtyan, yesterday welcomed them into his office.

“Davtyan promised to examine our cases. He collected all our documents and now he says that all our cases are in legal order — there’s a dispute, there’s a seal, and he can’t do anything. He’s suggesting we go to court,” she said.

One other protestor, Sona Maghakyan, said they received a similar hopeless response from Ministry of Justice employee Norayr Panosyan.

“Panosyan said a month has passed — but it’s not one month, it’s four. Furthermore, we don’t see whether they’re dealing with the case or not. The notary office is under the jurisdiction of the justice ministry. Since 2006, they’ve made incorrect transactions — hasn’t the ministry carried out inspections in all these years…?” she said.

After the weekly government meeting concluded, Heritage Party MP Anahit Bakhshyan approached the protestors. She asked that they share all the details of the case with her so that at her next address in parliament she will raise their concerns.

Recall, in 2006, the residents (whose apartments were recognized as public priority interest) agreed to leave their homes on the condition that they would be given apartments in the new buildings to be constructed on the same site. For this they signed an agreement with a developer by the name of Gagik Papoyan, but the residents still haven’t received their new apartments — in fact, the units have been resold to third parties.

Late last year, Armenia’s Special Investigation Service (SIS) launched a criminal case against Papoyan, but he cannot be found. The homeowners say the SIS informed them that that the case could take months as hundreds of people have to be questioned in connection with the case.