Barbarism in Tsaghkadzor: User Reports Grievances

“I am currently in Tsaghkadzor. The barbarism taking place here right now is indescribable with words and images.” This is what user Edward Hayrumyan wrote in a Facebook post.

“Setting aside the chaos on the city streets and the ill-conceived construction projects, the invaluable botanical heritage in the city center is being destroyed. Expensive (invaluable) fir trees, aged 10-30 years, are being uprooted, filled with concrete at their roots, and curbs are being placed right against their roots,” wrote Hayrumyan.

“The Government of Armenia, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, and the Tsaghkadzor municipality must urgently put an end to this barbarism,” Hayrumyan added.

It is also noteworthy that a few days ago, a group of writers from the Union of Writers issued a statement from the Tsaghkadzor writers' retreat: “We, the undersigned members of the initiating group, call upon the Armenian intelligentsia and all concerned individuals to declare. Tsaghkadzor is being martyrized at a disastrous pace—forests, ravines, and natural springs are being destroyed to make way for multifunctional high-rise buildings. For whom are these buildings being constructed, under what principles, and with whose money? Strangely, the city’s master plan, which was authorized by the government’s decision on July 10, 2006, has been disregarded. This plan explicitly states that constructing buildings taller than three or four stories in Tsaghkadzor is prohibited. However, today, more than ten residential buildings of ten to twelve stories are either completed or under construction, mainly by destroying forests.

Apart from the current disaster, there are also tens of hectares of forested areas that were illegally removed from the Hayantar system years ago and privatized, which are also under threat of development and destruction. Dear intellectuals and concerned individuals, in a year it will be too late; the tragedy of Tsaghkadzor will be complete. Tsaghkadzor must be saved today, otherwise our grandchildren will find neither flowers nor trees in Tsaghkadzor. Therefore, now is the moment to convene an intellectual conference and address the Union of Writers of Armenia and all creative unions to participate in the conference to be held at the Tsaghkadzor Creative House, so that everyone can witness the harsh reality with their own eyes, convinced that the conference will send a resolute message to Parliament to examine the long-overdue issue and adopt a law declaring TSAGHKADZOR A NATIONAL PARK before the feast of predators cuts down the last millennium tree.

With concern and hope,
Henrik Edoyan
Artem Harutyunyan
Meruzhan Ter-Gulanyan
Moses Manoukian
Ashot Ohanyan
Zhiyr Dadasyan
City: TSAGHKADZOR