City Hall Responds to Arthur Chakhoyan's Protest

Yerevan Mayor's spokesperson Haik Kostanyan made a statement on Facebook: "In response to blogger A. Chakhoyan's live broadcast on October 10 and the protest held in front of the Yerevan City Hall on October 11, I would like to inform you that the blogger mentioned that community lands and park areas should not be sold. The new master plan allows for the alienation of green areas and parkland.

Accordingly, V. Balasanyan has started the land capture process in the Nor Nork administrative district and has presented documents to legalize it. It is worth noting that under the previous master plan, parks and green spaces in Yerevan were designated as PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE GREEN AREAS, which, according to the Land Code, did not conform to the designation of non-alienable land under Article 60.

In the new master plan, parks, gardens, and recreational areas in Yerevan have been reclassified from the old designations and categorized as land for general use, specifically as parks and gardens, which clearly complies with the definitions set forth in the Land Code. Thus, it can be inferred that under the current designation, COMMUNITY PARK LAND CANNOT BE SEPARATED OR ALIENATED.

Regarding the actions of V. Balasanyan, I would like to remind you that just this Monday, during a procedural consultation, it was reported to Mayor Tigran Avinyan via live broadcast that no land capture activities were actually being carried out; the works on community land by the relevant departments of the City Hall have been stopped and halted. At the same time, there are no documentary grounds or applications regarding that plot of land in the name of V. Balasanyan at the Yerevan City Hall."