Deluded homeowners in Armenia demand government to fulfill promises

/By AzerNews/

By Laman Sadigova

This year is definitely not the best one for Armenia. The protests concerning deceased soldiers, increasing emigration and unemployment, the current electricity protests have all contributed to rising discontent among the people.

Mass protests and the people’s indignation toward their government increase daily in Armenia.

It turns out that the electricity problem is not the only one that has to concern Armenian government. The housing problem so relevant in Armenia in recent times has stirred up again.

About two dozen people, whose houses were taken away six years ago, blocked Tigran Mets Street in Yerevan on July 8.

One former homeowner, Mais Epremyan, told Epress.am told that he and another 200 families have suffered from malpractice by Armenian company "Glendale Hills," as the company has not yet provided them an apartment as they promised.

"We signed a contract in 2009 and were promised an apartment in a new building in 36 months. However, six years passed and we still continue to rent accommodation,” he said.

It became more difficult to get rent money – we have not received anything during the last two months. The company stopped the house construction and the company promised us a flat in the other building. However, that building construction was stopped, too,” he added.

Over the years, some of the flat owners’ have died waiting for their homes, said another protestor. "We need the apartment now, not posthumously."

After they were forced off of the road by police, they continued their protest in the front of the government building. The Minister of Urban Development and former chief architect of the capital, Narek Sargsyan, refused to talk with the protesters in front of TV cameras and invited them to his office.

The cheated homeowners have stated that they will start a picket if they are not provided with clear answers.