The pavilions were built by individual businessmen during the years of 1999-2001 with the purpose of selling flowers. The owners of the pavilions had gotten permission for putting the pavilions up years ago and they have all the documents for construction. The right of property of the pavilion owners has been recognized by both the former and present day mayors of Yerevan and the land needed has been provided to the businessmen for a period of 5-15 years. We have a list of documents for rentals and legal documents. The pavilion owners are currently in a difficult situation and can’t find their way out of it. The government has decided to give the land for rent to “BAMO” INC for a 50 year period. The pavilion owners have presented the construction plans for 650 square meters-the plans were provided by the architecture and urbanization department of the Yerevan municipality. However, according to another construction plan, the same area is included in the construction plan of the “Central-Forestation” joint-stock company located near the sport/concert complex. One of the pavilion owners, Ashot Nazaryan, assures that, years ago, the former owner of the complex A. Baghdasaryan had made many tries to build a restaurant in the area near the complex in order to privatize the area. However, both the Ajapnyak and Central communities had rejected the proposal. The forest near the complex belonged to the “Central-Forestation” joint stock company and the Central district council. The “Central-Forestation” joint stock company located near the complex was given for rent to the non-profit state organization of the sport/concert complex named after K. Demirchyan by decision of the government and now to the “BAMO” INC. The pavilion owners, who had no idea of what was going on, just found out that the head of the architecture and urbanization department of the Yerevan municipality and chief architect Samvel Danielyan has included their property in the “Central-Forestation” joint stock company’s construction plan. Basically, based on the turn of events, it turns out that the 650 square meter territory legally belongs to two sides-the pavilion owners and the “BAMO” INC. As a matter of fact, “BAMO” pays rent for the area to the Central district council, while the pavilion owners pay the rents to the Ajapnyak district council.
Let’s mention the fact that the contracts for the flower sellers in the pavilions expires in 2015. Basically, the architecture and urbanization department of the municipality has included another construction plan in the already existing construction plan and according to that, the extra 650 square meter territory has been given to the sport/concert complex (POAK) by the decision of the government and then to the “BAMO” INC. Ashot Nazarayan has this to say: “True, the territory was given to “BAMO” INC by decision of the government, but the government officials probably don’t know that that property had been given to us for a 5-15 year period and the pavilions were not built because we wanted to; there are legal documents. Now the BAMO owners are proposing to pay them 1000 dollars and work in the stores. The problem is that by looking at that piece of land as free land, Samvel Danielyan has included the chief construction plan of the “Central-Forestation” joint stock company located near the complex without studying the documents and the rights for rent. It turns out that the territory has two legal individuals who can rent because they took the land from us. That was done with the initiative taken by the former owner of the complex due to the fact that he wanted to build a restaurant here. Now they removed him from office and the land has been given to BAMO, which in its turn, pays rent like us; although it has to buy the land later on.” If the property has been given to BAMO for rent, then they were supposed to consider the contracts signed years ago as invalid or end it-giving the people renting the place compensation and/or providing them with another area. But this was not so. Let’s recall that the contract expires in 2015. The total surface area of the territory provided to “BAMO” INC (for a 50 year rent and property ownership right with the purpose to sell it to them later on) is 19.55 hectares, while the surface area for the pavilion owners is 650 square meters. The head of the architecture and urbanization department of the municipality Samvel Danielyan has told some pavilion owners that they will protect their interests and that they will find a solution. However, when the owners told Samvel Danielyan that the government has provided BAMO with the territory with the purpose of selling it to them later on, Danielyan was shocked and said: “That goes against the law and norms of urbanization. That territory is not for sale.”
Commercial owner of the sport/concert complex Yeghishe Petrosyan said the following during our interview with him: “The BAMO company has bought the area of the flower sellers from the state and has the right to use it however it sees fit.” The pavilion owners, in their turn, demand: “The constitutional and civil rights of small businessmen have been violated, as well as the rights stated in the land code. If the event is a mistake and not something that the officials wanted to do, then let them legally take out the territory from the chief construction plan of the territory provided to BAMO.”
Let’s state the fact that the BAMO constructional holding has planned on starting main reconstruction work on the sport/concert complex named after Karen Demirchyan in spring 2006. So, if the rental documents of the small businessmen do not be reviewed, then we can presume that in any case, BAMO will destroy the pavilions. Head of the Trade and Services department of the Ajapnyak district council Arayik Harutyunyan told us during an interview that the sidewalk of that street belonged to the Ajapnyak district council, however, it was given to the Central district council before us and then to BAMO INC. He stated that three of the pavilions are legal and six are not. So, three of the owners have a right to defend their rights. “We can’t do anything. We go along with the decision made by the mayor. According to the decision made by the mayor, their contracts had to be ended,” said Harutyunyan,” but it is better not to lead legal proceedings on this because nothing will change. That is why we have a court. What can I say?…I wish those cheap businessmen good luck”. Although workers from the municipality promised to provide us with information regarding this issue, however, they didn’t.