Officials Named 'Balgarqa' to Arrive as Unstable Family Faces Job Loss Threat

For several days now, Sofia Arsenyan, a long-time employee of a small trade kiosk in the Ajapnyak administrative district of Yerevan, has been waiting to see when officials from the district leader's office will arrive to equalize their small trade kiosk with the ground. In a conversation with a SHAMSHYAN.com correspondent, Ms. Sofia said, "We have neither a home nor a proper job; we live on rent. My son was also a participant in the April war and received certificates of appreciation from his commanders. We are defending our existence with this small kiosk, and now the district mayor Gevorg Babayan has been terrorizing us for several days, saying, 'I will demolish your booth from here. No booth should remain here.' We have asked him to understand that we belong to a socially vulnerable group and we depend on this kiosk, yet he not only refuses to listen but also treats us poorly. What can we do; my son and I are relying on this kiosk. We ask Yerevan Mayor Haik Marutyan to influence the district mayor so that he does not carry out his intentions. We are even being told that an official named 'Balgarqa' from the mayor's office is coming to dismantle it; now we do not know who 'Balgarqa' is, but it is certain that we will be left without work."

In a conversation with the media, Ajapnyak district leader Gevorg Babayan confirmed the information that he himself would be pursuing the dismantling of the kiosk. He even stated that the kiosk belongs to the son of former MP Galust Sahakyan and therefore they can do nothing about it. Nonetheless, it still must be dismantled, and that's final.

When asked by a photojournalist about the official from the district administration referred to as 'Balgarqa,' the mayor hesitated to answer. When informed that they might be referring to him, he replied that this was just speculation. He noted that he has also heard whispers that he is called 'Balgarqa' because he used to engage in the business of 'balgarq' before becoming mayor, but he denied that he participated in such activities at all.