Explosion and Fire Not Related to Gohar Arakelyan's Warehouse, Says Representative

According to data from the Cadastre Committee, Gohar Arakelyan Vrej's individual enterprise has been registered since September 2019 with the Ministry of Finance as an organization involved in the production, import, or sale of pyrotechnic products, having leased 116 square meters from the administrative building of the "Surmalu" shopping center located at 15 Arshakuniats Street since May 2019.

Aravot.am has learned that Gohar Arakelyan has not been in Armenia for nearly a year due to health issues and has traveled to Russia. The authorized representative of his enterprise is now Abraham Mikayelyan. Mikayelyan stated, "Under the law, the category of imported, produced, or sold pyrotechnic materials includes everything from small candles for cakes to examples like fireworks worth five million drams. Everything is imported in accordance with the provisions of that category."

He continued, "Gohar Arakelyan's enterprise has only imported ‘salutes’ intended for cakes, for which there are all legal documents and customs declarations. We have permission for import and sale issued by the Ministry of Finance, for which we pay a state fee every year."

According to him, 90 percent of the products imported by Gohar Arakelyan's enterprise consist of toys and stationery: "We can import twenty to thirty boxes of cake fireworks once or twice a year, which we sell along with toys. That’s how much our enterprise has imported."

Abraham Mikayelyan also clarified that the explosion at the "Surmalu" shopping center occurred on the second floor, while their warehouse is located on the fifth floor, specifically in the part that remained standing after the explosion. He emphasized, "Thus, the explosion or fire has nothing to do with Gohar Arakelyan's warehouse, where, let’s suppose, there were 5 or 8 boxes of cake fireworks. The source of the fire is not with us; the source of the fire is on the second floor. I repeat, Gohar Arakelyan’s warehouse is on the fifth floor."