Massive Tree Removal Planned for Multifunctional Building Construction in Yerevan

Massive tree removal is set to take place in Yerevan for the construction of a multifunctional building. While Yerevan’s mayor Haik Marutyan has stated that the city should be returned to its former green state, construction work has begun at 140 Nairi Zaryan Street in the Arabkir administrative district.

Residents, who spoke with photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan and requested that their information not be published, expressed their frustration: “For a long time, several residents of the building have submitted complaints to the Yerevan municipality, but there has been no result. During the Soviet years, this area became a recreation spot for residents, enjoyed in all seasons. It is unclear what heartless official so carelessly granted permission for such a construction. In just a few days, we will witness the elimination of the playground and the 50, 60, and 70-year-old trees, including sycamores and firs, from their roots. They then claim that the previous authorities were the problem. You took nothing from your predecessors, and instead of preserving the homeland, you are destroying the green spaces of the capital, replacing them with concrete buildings. Is this your fight? You do not love Yerevan; you are slowly dragging it into the jaws of death. We have no hope that this publication will reach the right audience; they will ignore it and continue their black work, which will ultimately mean a return to the playground's former state, although we still say that these are officials who hate their homeland.”