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ARMENIA'S HISTORY CONTINUES TO BE DESTROYED
http://blog.hetq.am/2012/05/29/armenias-history-destroyed/
The Mashdots market
Yesterday I learned that the market at the end of Mashdots Street,
which is a historical landmark, was slated to be demolished. But today
on News.am, I saw a photo of the rear of the building completely
destroyed. The photo and story were published late Monday morning
(on Independence day of the First Republic). Hetq reported that
Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian said the recent work undergone was
not authorized.
Two weeks ago while walking by the building I noticed that a steel
fence had been erected around the entrance of the building. I thought
that meant it was going to be restored since there are renovation
projects of building exteriors citywide. Turns out that the building
was sold to the oligarch and Republican member of parliament, Samvel
Alexanyan who is infamous for controlling a monopoly on sugar and
flour imports, gouging consumers, and selling inferior vodka as
genuine at high prices in his City Yerevan supermarkets, which are
popping up all over the place. He wants to convert the market into yet
another gigantic supermarket and destroy it in the process (he says
otherwise). People are already starting to protest the demolition
but it will take a lot of mobilization to stop him from completely
taking the market down, although the Ministry of Culture insists
that somehow the architecture will be preserved. Sounds a bit empty
considering that half the building is gone.
Questions begged to be asked: Who approved the sale of a historical
landmark and who was consulted before the building was sold? Did
the transaction occur in secret? If not, was there any movement to
stop the sale in the first place? Why weren't concerned citizens
investigating the reason for the market's closure, especially the
sellers? Who else knew about what was planned for the market, and
why wasn't it discussed beforehand? Why didn't the press break the
news sooner, long before the building was damaged beyond repair?
All sorts of unique architecture across Yerevan are being dismantled
without warning. Several years ago the Youth Sports complex and guest
house that was situated at the top of Abovyan Street on the hill
there was dismantled to construct a luxury hotel, which was never
built because the developer went bust apparently. About two years ago
a new hotel project was announced by the Armenian government with the
backing of a Japanese investment firm on the same site. Although the
area has been cleared, nothing is being built on the location. About
95 percent of Old Yerevan in the city center has already been wiped
off the face of the earth and there's no telling when the remaining
buildings - all architectural masterpieces - will be raised.
In Armenia, there is no system of checks and balances, and there
doesn't seem to be anyone with any ethical standards working in
government. Even when citizens do catch word about something about
to go drastically wrong, they don't talk about it until it's too late.
Then these same people complain that the country is not a country,
the laws don't work, etc. There needs to be accountability. No one, no
matter how wealthy or "powerful" they are, should be allowed to touch
any historical landmark without the public being informed beforehand.
In this case, since the Ministry of Culture is making promises about
the market's final transformation not being as bad as it seems,
Minister Hasmik Poghosyan, a Republican, is complicit in letting the
sale go through (so is Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian, yet another
Republican for that matter).
Petty carelessness, whimsical power wielding, and defeatism are
bringing the downfall upon the Republic of Armenia. This is applicable
to virtually all large-scale business projects sponsored by the
government or those with close ties to it. If those in power continue
to do whatever they wish without being held accountable for their
actions, Armenian citizens will have no one to blame but themselves.
http://blog.hetq.am/2012/05/29/armenias-history-destroyed/
The Mashdots market
Yesterday I learned that the market at the end of Mashdots Street,
which is a historical landmark, was slated to be demolished. But today
on News.am, I saw a photo of the rear of the building completely
destroyed. The photo and story were published late Monday morning
(on Independence day of the First Republic). Hetq reported that
Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian said the recent work undergone was
not authorized.
Two weeks ago while walking by the building I noticed that a steel
fence had been erected around the entrance of the building. I thought
that meant it was going to be restored since there are renovation
projects of building exteriors citywide. Turns out that the building
was sold to the oligarch and Republican member of parliament, Samvel
Alexanyan who is infamous for controlling a monopoly on sugar and
flour imports, gouging consumers, and selling inferior vodka as
genuine at high prices in his City Yerevan supermarkets, which are
popping up all over the place. He wants to convert the market into yet
another gigantic supermarket and destroy it in the process (he says
otherwise). People are already starting to protest the demolition
but it will take a lot of mobilization to stop him from completely
taking the market down, although the Ministry of Culture insists
that somehow the architecture will be preserved. Sounds a bit empty
considering that half the building is gone.
Questions begged to be asked: Who approved the sale of a historical
landmark and who was consulted before the building was sold? Did
the transaction occur in secret? If not, was there any movement to
stop the sale in the first place? Why weren't concerned citizens
investigating the reason for the market's closure, especially the
sellers? Who else knew about what was planned for the market, and
why wasn't it discussed beforehand? Why didn't the press break the
news sooner, long before the building was damaged beyond repair?
All sorts of unique architecture across Yerevan are being dismantled
without warning. Several years ago the Youth Sports complex and guest
house that was situated at the top of Abovyan Street on the hill
there was dismantled to construct a luxury hotel, which was never
built because the developer went bust apparently. About two years ago
a new hotel project was announced by the Armenian government with the
backing of a Japanese investment firm on the same site. Although the
area has been cleared, nothing is being built on the location. About
95 percent of Old Yerevan in the city center has already been wiped
off the face of the earth and there's no telling when the remaining
buildings - all architectural masterpieces - will be raised.
In Armenia, there is no system of checks and balances, and there
doesn't seem to be anyone with any ethical standards working in
government. Even when citizens do catch word about something about
to go drastically wrong, they don't talk about it until it's too late.
Then these same people complain that the country is not a country,
the laws don't work, etc. There needs to be accountability. No one, no
matter how wealthy or "powerful" they are, should be allowed to touch
any historical landmark without the public being informed beforehand.
In this case, since the Ministry of Culture is making promises about
the market's final transformation not being as bad as it seems,
Minister Hasmik Poghosyan, a Republican, is complicit in letting the
sale go through (so is Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian, yet another
Republican for that matter).
Petty carelessness, whimsical power wielding, and defeatism are
bringing the downfall upon the Republic of Armenia. This is applicable
to virtually all large-scale business projects sponsored by the
government or those with close ties to it. If those in power continue
to do whatever they wish without being held accountable for their
actions, Armenian citizens will have no one to blame but themselves.