Proshyantsi Residents Reach Yerevan, Demand Meeting with Avinyan

The situation in Proshyan is tense as residents have blocked the Yerevan-Ashtarak highway and are marching towards Yerevan, having already reached the administrative territory of the city. The police are trying to convince them to open the road.

Maria Petrosyan, a resident of Proshyan, addressed the participants of the protest, saying, “Dear Proshyantsis, do not engage in confrontation. We are here to defend our rights, to have our right to free movement respected, and confrontation does not benefit us at all. Please refrain from it. If our right to free movement is violated, we will also violate the movement rights of others. We will not allow this highway to function. I do not want to politicize this, but since our authorities and government always rely on GPS maps, let me clarify that we are in Yerevan's territory and demand Mr. Avinyan to ensure that the bus that is supposed to serve the residents of Yerevan comes here to turn around and go back. Please ensure the operation of the bus in this area.

We particularly ask that it be conveyed to Mr. Avinyan that we expect a meeting with him; we have things to discuss with him. We are not only losing the opportunity to travel from Proshyan to Yerevan but also the right to travel within Yerevan, which you are not entitled to take away from us. The residents of Proshyan urge Mr. Avinyan to come and meet with us.”

It should be noted that the day before, after a 2.5-hour meeting between Proshyan residents and the Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, it became clear that the government would not change its decision. Meanwhile, the company servicing Gagik Tsarukyan is ready to reduce the transport fare by 50 drams, making it 200 drams.

Recall that on March 5, residents of Proshyan and Kasakh communities in Kotayk Province had blocked the Yerevan-Ashtarak road for several hours. They are protesting against the reduction of bus lines 25 and 59 and the introduction of a more expensive route. According to residents, the new route will be serviced by 'Multi Transport' company, with the fare being 200 to 250 drams. Residents claim that using buses 25 and 59 would cost them 150 drams, while using the microbus number 277, belonging to 'Multi Transport', would not only be more expensive but also serve only 7 km, up to the Physics Institute.