PanARMENIAN.Net
There are some political motives for destructing Armenian district in
Tbilisi
20.09.2007 16:01 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Havlabar is a historical district and needs
reconstruction. That is the problem. A major part of historical
Tbilisi, including Vake, Saburtalo, Sololaki, has been already
reconstructed. Now it’s Havlabar’s turn,’ expert at the Caucasus Media
Institute, historian and political scientist Sergei Minasyan said in
an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.
`Although some political motives emerge, actually urbanization is
taking place. Let’s take the construction of the North Avenue in
Yerevan, for example. Only fancy the clamor that would rise if
Russians lived in those ramshackle houses…’ he said.
`As far as I know, Armenians are not kicked out in the street. It’s
quite another matter that it’s a historical district where Armenians
used to live for centuries. But these Armenians are poor; their houses
too, unlike other districts of Tbilisi. Virtually, Havlabar is the
front of Tbilisi. However, it’s too unattractive,’ he said.
As a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter came to know from Havlabar residents,
`the government is planning to completely destroy the district and
build a modern neighborhood for elite instead. The government warned
that Armenians will be paid $906 per m2 and will be replaced to
outskirts of the capital.’
Meanwhile, an official from Tbilisi city administration told
PanARMENIAN.Net that `there are no plans for building an elite
neighborhood.’