Dismantled Kiosks Did Not Serve Their Purpose, Says Hakob Karapetyan

The spokesperson for the Yerevan municipality, Hakob Karapetyan, made a post on his Facebook page responding to a comment made by former Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan.

“Former Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan recently expressed regret over the dismantled kiosks. The question is that these stalls were not only installed on shaky legal grounds, but they also did not serve their intended purpose, as they often sold phones, accessories, and other 'trinkets'. Additionally, they posed safety concerns for traffic by obstructing drivers' visibility at intersections. More importantly, from an artistic value perspective, these questionable stalls further burdened the already overloaded sidewalk areas. The goal of the current city administration is to clear the sidewalks of this burden as much as possible and to create free (not empty) public spaces. The area freed up from the kiosks will certainly be improved.

Before the dismantling, the kiosk owners were notified that they could dismantle and relocate them at their own expense, which they did not do. Now, the kiosks are stored, and the owners can manage them at any time.

Mr. Amiryan also alludes to the construction of apartment buildings in the center and, in this context, mentions legality. In this regard, we are compelled to reiterate that there is essentially no apartment construction in the center; the few existing buildings under construction are practically 'ghosts of the past' (one of them, for example, has 54 families who have had property rights since 2008-2010). With all due respect to Mr. Amiryan's personal character and past path, it might be worth reminding him that Yerevan's center was flooded with apartment buildings during the time he held high public and state positions and had plenty of opportunity to express his dissatisfaction.

Ultimately, if Mr. Amiryan has the opportunity to call the current Prime Minister of Armenia regarding the kiosks and request intervention, he should have the capacity to pose questions to another Prime Minister—his former superior—about the legality or suitability of the mansions being constructed at the expense of the Monument Park,” he wrote.