At a press conference today in Yerevan regarding mounting civic actions designed to stem the tide of illegal and ill-advised construction in the city’s parks and green space, architect Levon Igityan labelled some of the young activists staging a protest in Mashtots Park as “not fully matured.”

Igityan noted that shop-owners have a contract with the Yerevan Municipality to set up businesses in the area. He added that most of the stores now being built in the park would be temporary anyway.

Many of the storeowners had their businesses along Abovyan Street recently dismantled due to a municipal directive. Some, if not all, built stores along Abovyan, one of the city’s most prominent of boulevards either illegally or with the tacit approval of the city during a period of free-flowing graft and public apathy.

Prominent environmental activist Karineh Danielyan argued that construction in Yerevan is taking place on a piece-meal basis and that she has yet to see a master urban plan for Yerevan.

She said it made no sense to dismantle stores on Abovyan and transfer them to Mashots Park, one of the few remaining large green spaces in Yerevan.

Danielyan argued that those in the mayor’s circle of advisors are the ones at fault for not providing any alternate solutions to the issue.

Meri Khachatryan, an environmental activist and lawyer representing the Mashtots Park protestors, said it was unfortunate that Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan has not yet deemed it necessary to meet with the activists, even in a symbolic gesture of cooperation.

Igityan said the issue is of no concern to architects like him and that doesn’t have the time to visit the construction site and see what all the fuss is about.

Ara Yerndjakyan, Artistic Director of the Chamber Theatre and a member of the Yerevan City Council, had also been invited to attend the press conference. He called in advance to say that he was sick and wouldn’t make it.

On February 17, Yerndjakyan went to the park and told protestors that their actions were illegal and that the construction had been authorized.

Igityan said that Yerndjakyan was a true intellectual but underappreciated.