"In 1953 they took from us all the documents related to our homes and told us that in the near future we would get new apartments. But this near future never arrived, and we have been left with no rights," say the people here. Half a century has passed since then, but nothing has changed in the life of residents of Kond. Rumors about the reconstruction of this oldest district in Yerevan are still going around. The most recent decision by the government "On Measures To Be Taken for the Implementation of the Reconstruction Work Within the Administrative Limits of the Kentron District of Yerevan" was adopted on August 1, 2002, but hasn't yet been carried out.

Gurgen Musheghyan, the director of the Yerevan Nakhagits (Blueprint) Design Institute explains why the government decision has not been implemented: "During Soviet times, in the 1980's, a tender was held and an award winning design was chosen, on the basis of which the Yerevan Nakhagits Institute developed a plan for the redevelopment of Kond, but it was a different situation then, times have changed. Private property rights didn't exist then, there was no compensation foreseen for the land and the property. The state was supposed to pull down the dwellings in Kond and accommodate the residents in available apartments. Some houses along the road leading from Kond to the Dvin hotel were pulled down and reconstruction work began. Later, for well known reasons, the construction work came to a halt."

Gurgen Musheghyan finds it hard to predict what awaits Kond. It depends, he says, on when the August 1, 2002 government decision is put into practice. According to the decision, in addition to land in Kond (164,000 square meters), land in four other locations within the administrative limits of the Kentron district of Yerevan are to be taken by the state for city development:

•  Glkhavor (Main) Avenue (71,000 square meters), 
•  The 33 rd micro-district (51,000 square meters), 
•  The area adjacent to Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church (35,300 square meters), 
•  The area adjacent to the Yerevan Winery (23,000 square meters).

A total of 345,000 square meters of territory with immovable property has been specified for "the needs of the state". According to Paragraph 2 of the decision, the Yerevan Mayor's office was required to determine the boundaries of the land to be taken and register the zones of alienation with the State Cadastre of Armenia within two months. At the same time, valuation of the immovable property located in these areas was to be carried out through the appropriate licensed organizations. But none of the paragraphs has been implemented. Gurgen Mushergyan says there is only one reason: "The state is unable to carry out these works and compensate Kond residents for their property. The reconstruction of Kond has to be financed by investment programs. For that, Kond should become attractive to investors. And as a matter of fact, there are no such investors as of now."

But Mushegyan is not too disheartened by the lack of investors, since land in Yerevan is not limitless. "After the more attractive areas are developed, there will be a need for new apartments in the center. The day will come, but I can't say when," he says. The director of Yerevan Nakhagits is confident that even after redevelopment, Kond will remain a residential area.

Regardless of all the explanations, people in Kond want to know what principles the compensation for their property will be based on. Gurgen Musheghyan says that the answer to this question can be obtained from the Mayor's Office of Project Implementation. The deputy director there, Vigen Arzumanyan, told us that they couldn't yet say anything definite about the compensation for Kond apartments, since no decision in this regard had been taken yet. However after some search, he found among his papers the August 1, 2002 government decision, Paragraph 2 of which clearly states, "In accordance with Article 218 of the Civil Code of Armenia, the owners and users of the immovable property located in the alienation zones mentioned in Para. 1 must be informed of the timing, financing, and the procedure of taking their property for the needs of the state."

Remembering the fate of the residents of the Northern Avenue, who were forced out of their homes and relocated on the outskirts of Yerevan, people in Kond are understandably worried. But Musheghyan says, "It's not a question of using force. It's a question of the law. There is a city that has to be redeveloped. It's a free market; those residents of Kond who have the means can take part in the redevelopment work and get an apartment in Kond," Musheghyan says.

But Gurgen Musheghyan's perception of the financial means of people in Kond doesn't correspond to reality, to put it mildly.

Photos by Onnik Krikorian