ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: CONSTRUCTION OF YEREVAN’S URBAN DEVELOPMENT ZONES WILL CONTINUE IN LINE WITH HIGH STANDARDS
Noyan Tapan
Nov 16, 2007
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The implementation of urban
development programs will continue in Yerevan. The Armenian president
Robert Kocharian stated this at the November 16 opening ceremony of
North Avenue.
According to him, the construction of North Avenue was done in line
with high standards, and it will be difficult to deviate from these
standards during construction of other urban development zones. It
was pointed out that if the construction had not been organized
on large areas at the time, investors would have bought small land
plots and each of then "would have constructed a small building in
accordance with his own taste". In the opinion of Robert Kocharian,
urban development work has promoted and will promote the development
of Armenia’s mortgage market and an increase in real estate prices.
To recap, former residents of the urban development zones have filed
10 lawsiuits to the European Court of Human Rights with the request
to restore their property rights. R. Kocharian said that this is the
right of Armenian citizens, and if "there were mistakes during the
urban development process, the decisions of the European Court will
be respected".
In his opinion, those residents, who think that they have not
received sufficient compenstion at the initial stage of Yerevan
urban development programs, should be forgiving. As he put it, "if we
had been afraid of it and stopped at that time", the development of
construction in Yerevan would have ended. "Based on this experience,
we have improved the legislation. I am sure that such difficulties
will decrease in future," R. Kocharian said.
He added that in the view of foreign experts, fewer problems related
to relations between property owners and the state arise during urban
development in Yerevan than in foreign countries.
It is noteworthy that while R. Kocharian was walking along North
Avenue, a group of residents of urban development zones staged a
protest in North Avenue’s part adjacent to Tumanian Street. The
protesters made an attempt to approach the president but policemen
stopped them. Nevertheless, they managed to pass a letter to Robert
Kocharian – through a bodyguard.