Public Council to continue efforts on Zvartnots building’s preservation

The small board of the Public Council of Armenia held a sitting yesterday. The agenda included issues related to demolition of Zvartonts Airport’s old building, pension reforms, and the upcoming meeting with the Armenian prime minister, the press service of the Public Council reported.

The discussion on demolition of Zvartnots Airport’s old (round) building began with the decision about approval of the 2013-2017 master plan submitted by the concessioner. The demolition of the old airport building is also included in the master plan. The sitting participants stressed the importance of the fact that the prime minister instructed the head of the Main Civil Aviation Department (MCAD) to examine that issue again with architects.

The Public Council Chairman Vazgen Manukian said the Public Council has not received any answers from the concessioner and MCAD so far.

For example, the Council had proposed that Culture Ministry should decide if the building is a historical and cultural monument and whether it should be included in the list of such monuments, but Culture Ministry did not discuss the matter.
The Public Council has also proposed that an independent expert company should conduct a study and estimate the amount of expenses for restoration of the old building, but no measures were taken either.

Since no answers were given to these questions, the Public Council will continue making efforts on the building’s preservation because the Round Building of Zvartnots Airport is a symbol of Yerevan and no document with well-founded calculations about the necessity to pull down the building were presented.

As for the introduction of the compulsory component of the accumulative pension system, the problem remains on the agenda of the Public Council and will be discussed at the upcoming meeting with the prime minister. Members of the Council proposed discussing the absence of effective dialog between the authorities and society and a number of other issues related to the government’s social policy at the upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.