GOVERNMENT TO INITIATE PUBLIC DEBATES OVER A PLAN TO BUILD CHURCH ON PLACE OF MOSKVA SUMMER CINEMA HOUSE

/ARKA/
April 15, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, April 15, /ARKA/. The government of Armenia will initiate
public debates over a plan to build a church on place of a summer
cinema house in downtown Yerevan, Aram AnaNian, an aide to THE prime
minister, said to ARKA.

He said the government discussed this issue with some interested
agencies and in addition to it will initiate public debates on this
plan that is being opposed by some segments of the population. He
said the government hopes that the debate will help shape a single
public opinion on the issue.

On March 4 the government passed a decision to allocate the area
free of charge to the Armenian Apostolic Church for construction of
a church on the area that would be a replica of a church that was
destroyed by the Soviets in 1930-s.

He said head of Transparency International Armenia, Sona Ayvazian,
asked the government to provide her with the package of documents
that the government relied on when making the allocation decision. The
package had a letter of culture minister. Some local newspapers claimed
that the minister asked the government to preserve the summer cinema
house.