Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan’s positions on the issue of Mashtots Park coincide, the prime minister said himself during a briefing in parliament on Wednesday.
“We are against pavilions in our parks, including those that have permanent status. That’s why we have a clear approach that they are temporary and should be removed,” he said.
Recall, environmental and civic activists have been camped out nearly every day for over two weeks in the central Yerevan park, protesting the construction of shops that were dismantled on Abovyan St. and moved to Mashtots Park, one of the few remaining green spaces in the Armenian capital. Authorities have stipulated that the shops (pavilions) are temporary — the owners of the shops on Abovyan St. had signed a 10-year contract with the city and have 3 years remaining on their contract. Thus, the shops were to be placed in the park for 3 years.
“Upon instructions by the president, we have discussed this issue with Taron Margaryan and with the head of the Public Council, and we are preparing to ratify these comprehensive approaches and concept also by way of a government decision so that our citizens can be confident that there won’t be pavilions in Mashtots Park,” he said.
According to Sargsyan, some people through local media have disseminated misinformation that the “prime minister’s relations with [National Assembly Chair Samvel] Nikoyan are bad, that his relations with Taron Margaryan are bad.”
“I think that some people are simply jealous that we have such great relations,” he said.
Photo: Yerevan Municipality official website