RESIDENTS OF DEVELOPMENT ZONES CONVINCED THAT THEIR PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED RAPIDLY IF CURRENT AUTHORITIES CHANGE
Noyan Tapan
Feb 14, 2008
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Residents of Byuzand, Koghbatsi,
Nork Gardens Streets, North Avenue and Dalma Gardens (Yerevan) staged
a protest in front of the RA government building on February 14,
demanding a meeting with the Armenian prime minister Serge Sargsian.
According to Vahagn Hakobian, the chairman of Property Rights
Protection NGO, they have repeatedly applied to the appropriate state
bodies concerning apartments- and land plots-related problems but
no solutions have been found to these problems. He said that a month
prior to the 2007 parliamentary elections, the prime minister received
and assured them that these prolems will be solved in favor of the
residents. "The elections passed but the prime minister did not meet
with us, moreover, no solutions to our problems have been found. We
have sent thousands of letters both to the Armenian president and the
prime minister but our letters remain unanswered," V. Hakobian said.
In his words, the prime minister regularly states that Armenia is a
democratic state and that the rights of citizens must be protected but
"we did not feel it after our meeting with him". The protesters are
convinced that if the current authorities change, their problems will
be solved rapidly. "Let everybody, except Serge Sargsian and Artashes
Geghamian, be elected. We are sure that all the other candidates will
be better than the current authorities," the protesters said.
To recap, in 2003 the state alienated the houses of residents of
the above mentioned areas for the purpose of urban development. Not
receiving adequate compensation, most of them now either stay with
relatives or rent apartments.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
