Efforts to save covered market fail - Mkrtich Minasyan

Chairman of Union of Armenia’s Architects Mkrtich Minasyan regrets that the two-year long fight for saving Yerevan’s covered market has failed.

“A unique monument built by high-level architects is being replaced by a common market that can be in any place,” he said, speaking to reporters today.

Minasyan said he does not know even who they are fighting against in case when the preservation issue is the state’s affair.
“One of the best monuments, the face of the city is being eliminated and our fight gives no results as we do not know where the mystery lies. All the state institutions – Municipality, Ministry of Culture, prosecutor’s office sent a written response to us saying that yes, the monument has been destroyed but the owner will preserve its former appearance,” he said, stressing that they do not have any place to apply to, they even applied to the president.

Karo Ayvazyan, Culture Ministry’s official dealing with preservation of the monuments, said the ministry has implemented its demands. “We have done everything within the limits of our authorities – we have applied to the owner, suspended the construction, even applied to the prosecutor’s office, to the municipality but the illegal construction continues,” he said.

Victims of State Needs NGO chairman Sedrak Baghdasaryan said there is no mystery, everything is clear – the owner is Samvel Alexanyan and that is why nothing is being done. “There is a law, but Mr Alexanyan laughs at all of us, saying ‘I do not care’,” he said.

“According to the prosecutor’s office document, during the past ten years 29 historic-cultural monuments were eliminated in Yerevan, but in reality their number exceeds 50. If Hasmik Poghosyan [culture minister] continues working in this way it’s better not to have such culture minister or Ministry of Culture at all,” he said.

Pollster Aharon Adibekyan was of other opinion. He said the city is a living organism and if one cell dies, it is necessary to replace it with another one. “The building should be changed, reconstructed, I am for its preservation but an optimal variant should be found,” he said, adding that a second floor may be constructed too.