It is clear that the Republican mayor of Vanadzor cannot work in a style not suitable for his political force, says the Lori governor

The mayor of Vanadzor has an undeniable contribution to the distortion of the architectural appearance of Vanadzor. This was stated by the Lori governor Andrey Ghukasyan on his Facebook page.

He particularly noted, "Regarding the illegal constructions in Vanadzor, the mayor of Vanadzor has an undeniable contribution to the distortion of the architectural appearance of the city. This is evidenced by the current appearance of the city and also by the numerous letters and discussions that the Lori regional administration has had with the mayor of Vanadzor over the past two years on this topic, urging to stop the illegal constructions.

However, the field of constructive and partnership relations remained inaccessible for the mayor of Vanadzor. And this is perhaps understandable to some extent: a Republican mayor cannot work in a style that is not suitable for his political force. As for the typical Republican style filled with murmurs and barks, I suggest directing those remarks to his political fathers.

As a result, today all communities in Armenia have a complete chance to replicate the brilliant mechanism of legalizing illegal constructions unique to Vanadzor. Here, in the initial phase, the foundations of illegal constructions are not even noticed by the city hall, and then, in the event of any public protest being quelled, the constructions smoothly and quickly reach completion, and as a result of internal agreements, the city hall very quickly legitimizes the illegal building.

This is the modus operandi of the Republican mayor, who instead of bringing local businessmen into a partnership field and taking steps aimed at community development and improvement, is solely engaged in parceling the city, a process rife with obvious corruption risks.

As we approach the local self-government elections in 2021, the mayor, who has exhausted all chances of reelection, tends to portray himself as a benevolent figure while instead distributing the city in parts and looking for a lifebuoy in Yerevan. If the mayor's messages are at the level of circulating rumors and malicious gossip, then in this case everything is clear and substantiated.

Concerning the illegal construction at Lazyan 45 in Vanadzor, the correspondence with the governor's office has taken on a quarterly nature. The correspondence dating back to November 2019, urging to stop the illegal constructions there and uphold the interests of the community residents, has not yet led to any conclusive results. This correspondence, lasting 9-10 months, is still being dragged out by the mayor, constantly providing vague responses, and during phone conversations has been dishonest by continuously failing to keep his promises.

This is just one example of a single case. And all of this leads to a situation where all possible negotiations and partnership opportunities have been exhausted, and the issue urgently needs resolution.

And I already urge on the public platform to finally attempt to resolve the issue that has dragged on for 10 months at Lazyan 45 within a period of 10 days. Especially since we will be raising many issues related to illegal constructions in the near future.

The Republican mayor, elected through unclear arrangements and political exchanges, should have by now understood that when speaking with a representative of the legitimate political force that has come to power with the support of the majority of the public, he will refrain from using the lexicon of his former political fathers.

Because it is quite possible that, as a result of such an incompetent and irresponsible modus operandi, the mayor will find himself in the same situation as his Republican predecessors. And it is not excluded that this may happen much sooner than it seems.

P.S. To avoid misunderstandings, I would like to say that as the governor of Lori, I welcome any investment made in the region, be it large or small, and I am ready to support all investors. However, this cooperation must take place in the context of public and community interests, where the beneficiary must be the region, the community, and the residents of the community."