Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

[bell-the-cat]

http://www.armenianow.com/society/38342/yerevan_pak_shuka_demolished_roof_samvel_alexanyan

http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/country26336.html

One of Yerevan's most notatable and distinctive public buildings - the covered market on Mashtots avenue - is been demolished. Designed by Grigor Abababian and built in the 1940s, it was famous for its cavernous, railway station-like interior, and its entrance facade that was inspired by the polygonal stone inlay entrance facades of medieval Armenian palaces and which contained motifs derived from the produce sold within, interspersed with Soviet motifs. The building is owned by the well-known criminal and member of the Armenian parliament, Samvel Alexanyan.



99% of the sugar imported into Armenia is imported by Samvel Alexanyan’s businesses. They are "businesses" because every few years he closes one company and starts up another that does an identical thing - this enables him to postpone paying taxes on the new company while enjoying exactly the same income as with the old company. Some of his many other companies include Flitfood, Nataly Pharm, Salex Group, Salex Grig, etc. His supermarkets are fronts for seling fake Russian vodka and repackaged out-of-date food products. One of the more amusing stories from the aftermath of Armenia's latest election fiasco was the one of Alexanyan distributing envelopes full of money to Malatiya-Sebastiya electoral officials in a post-election party he hosted.

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

http://www.armenianow.com/society/38...mvel_alexanyan

http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/country26336.html

One of Yerevan's most notatable and distinctive public buildings - the covered market on Mashtots avenue - is been demolished. Designed by Grigor Abababian and built in the 1940s, it was famous for its cavernous, railway station-like interior, and its entrance facade that was inspired by the polygonal stone inlay entrance facades of medieval Armenian palaces and which contained motifs derived from the produce sold within, interspersed with Soviet motifs. The building is owned by the well-known criminal and member of the Armenian parliament, Samvel Alexanyan.



99% of the sugar imported into Armenia is imported by Samvel Alexanyan’s businesses. They are "businesses" because every few years he closes one company and starts up another that does an identical thing - this enables him to postpone paying taxes on the new company while enjoying exactly the same income as with the old company. Some of his many other companies include Flitfood, Nataly Pharm, Salex Group, Salex Grig, etc. His supermarkets are fronts for seling fake Russian vodka and repackaged out-of-date food products. One of the more amusing stories from the aftermath of Armenia's latest election fiasco was the one of Alexanyan distributing envelopes full of money to Malatiya-Sebastiya electoral officials in a post-election party he hosted.

This happens when you give retards money and power. The biggest danger today to the Armenian state is the artificial economy and the oligarchs that are running it.
There is one thing that I have wondered, there are so many loud mouth Armenian nationalists around why don't they go out and kill all those bastards in one sweep and be done with it?
I also have the answer, the answer is not mine but from a comedian named Vartan. Today the Armenian men are lav txeq quchi mashtabov outside of that they aren't worth a damn and the situation in Armenia today proves it. That a building of such grandeur can be demolished while an other pig builds an abomination in Lenakan, I'm sorry it should be Gyumri because no one would allow something like that to be build in Lenakan!

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

This happens when you give retards money and power. The biggest danger today to the Armenian state is the artificial economy and the oligarchs that are running it.
There is one thing that I have wondered, there are so many loud mouth Armenian nationalists around why don't they go out and kill all those bastards in one sweep and be done with it?
I also have the answer, the answer is not mine but from a comedian named Vartan. Today the Armenian men are lav txeq quchi mashtabov outside of that they aren't worth a damn and the situation in Armenia today proves it. That a building of such grandeur can be demolished while an other pig builds an abomination in Lenakan, I'm sorry it should be Gyumri because no one would allow something like that to be build in Lenakan!

In January the criminal says "trust me".

http://hetq.am/eng/interviews/9035/mp-aleksanyan---yerevans-pak-shouka-wont-become-a-yerevan-city-supermarket.html

But everyone knows the truth

http://transparency.am/news.php?id=438&inside=1

The demolition starts in February, continues into March, then stops. I guess Alexanyan thought it best to wait until after the elections before destroying it completely.

Photos from March 2012: http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/photoset/1712/11977

Got to laugh at how Yerevan's corrupt mayor, Taron Margaryan, trys to explain away the demolition: the "roof collapse occurred when the contractor attempted to buttress sections of the building". http://hetq.am/eng/news/14888/yereva...ized-work.html The March photos clearly show it is being demolished -there is even the heavy machinery that is doing it visible in some of the photos and trucks are outside to carry away the rubble.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

The video below shows that the famous entrance facade has been already destroyed (see 1:41 and 3:30).

Can someone translate a bit of what is being said in the above video?

[Armanen]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

This happens when you give retards money and power. The biggest danger today to the Armenian state is the artificial economy and the oligarchs that are running it.
There is one thing that I have wondered, there are so many loud mouth Armenian nationalists around why don't they go out and kill all those bastards in one sweep and be done with it?
I also have the answer, the answer is not mine but from a comedian named Vartan. Today the Armenian men are lav txeq quchi mashtabov outside of that they aren't worth a damn and the situation in Armenia today proves it. That a building of such grandeur can be demolished while an other pig builds an abomination in Lenakan, I'm sorry it should be Gyumri because no one would allow something like that to be build in Lenakan!

Armenia's biggest danger and source of its socio-economic situation is largely due to its geopolitics and lack of natural resources. While I agree there are issues with a large segment of the Armenian population that run deeper than just economics or geopolitics, the same can be said of all nations. As for the oligarchs, as you can see, their kin in the USA have been plundering that country for years, difference was that in years past their table scraps were enough to appease the sheeple. Where are all the loud mouth American patriots, why don't they fight the criminal bankers?

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

Armenia's biggest danger and source of its socio-economic situation is largely due to its geopolitics and lack of natural resources.

The Armenian economy has had more or less 20 years to adopt to the situation, so that can not be continued as an excuse for the weak state that the Armenian economy is in right now. 20 years can be constituted as a medium term in macro economics. This excuse could have been used in the short term but that has passed and the Armenian economy still hasn't reformed itself to its new reality and adapted to the realities it is in right now. Armenia needs so many internal reforms starting with the judicial branch of the government and ending with the education.

While I agree there are issues with a large segment of the Armenian population that run deeper than just economics or geopolitics, the same can be said of all nations.

Can you tell me in how many nations there are people that have unnatural monopolies on the imports of sugar? Or on cooking oil? The list goes on and on. It is not one product or something that is of vital importance for national security. When you have an economy as it is in Armenia right now, where a couple of people have a monopoly that is sustained through illegal means, not even a great business model or cheap prices or a technological advantage when compared to its competitors. But by the fact that there are no competitors on the market. Then you get a system where the economy cannot grow and innovation is smouldered right in the cradle. This is something that has started during the LTP administration and is continuing now. Armenia today has an artificial economy that can implode and destroy the whole country with it. It is as a great or even greater danger than the Azeris, because a country that doesn't have an economy cannot function nor defend itself and when the economy collapses you can count the days until a mass uprising against the government like it happened in Iran in 1979.

As for the oligarchs, as you can see, their kin in the USA have been plundering that country for years, difference was that in years past their table scraps were enough to appease the sheeple.

This is just another excuse, what does it matter that something like this happened in the US or any other country? Does it now make it ok that this has happened in the US? If the people in the US are sheeple what does it make the Armenians then that they sell their most sacred right?

Where are all the loud mouth American patriots, why don't they fight the criminal bankers?

So can you tell me what laws those bankers have broken? Unlike the oligarchs in Armenia the Wall Street bankers work in the bounds of the law. You can say that they are not moral but one fact remains that they make sure that they don't break any laws. What happens in Armenia it seems the oligarchs do not even respect the laws, when they arrive in town it's like a king or a prince has arrived there and not a regular thug!

[Armanen]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

[QUOTE=KarotheGreat;331674]The Armenian economy has had more or less 20 years to adopt to the situation, so that can not be continued as an excuse for the weak state that the Armenian economy is in right now. 20 years can be constituted as a medium term in macro economics. This excuse could have been used in the short term but that has passed and the Armenian economy still hasn't reformed itself to its new reality and adapted to the realities it is in right now. Armenia needs so many internal reforms starting with the judicial branch of the government and ending with the education.[QUOTE]

A nation can not get past its geography. As Spykman said 'Although the entire policy of a state does not derive from its geography, it can't escape that geography. Size, shape, location, topography, and climate posit conditions from which there is no escape, however skilled the Foreign Office, and hoeever resourceful the General Staff'. Based on the given circumstances, Armenia is doing pretty damn well. You would not know this because the last time you were in Armenia was in the 90s. Correct me if I am wrong. When you visit and stop listening to foreign sponsored smear campaigns and your disgruntled relatives, perhaps you will have a more healthy view of things.

Can you tell me in how many nations there are people that have unnatural monopolies on the imports of sugar? Or on cooking oil? The list goes on and on. It is not one product or something that is of vital importance for national security. When you have an economy as it is in Armenia right now, where a couple of people have a monopoly that is sustained through illegal means, not even a great business model or cheap prices or a technological advantage when compared to its competitors. But by the fact that there are no competitors on the market. Then you get a system where the economy cannot grow and innovation is smouldered right in the cradle. This is something that has started during the LTP administration and is continuing now. Armenia today has an artificial economy that can implode and destroy the whole country with it. It is as a great or even greater danger than the Azeris, because a country that doesn't have an economy cannot function nor defend itself and when the economy collapses you can count the days until a mass uprising against the government like it happened in Iran in 1979.

Can you tell me how many nations do NOT have monopolies in some things? Look at China, their entire major industries are monopolized by the state, yet how many investors do you hear complaining about it. Korean ship building is dominated by two firms, they collude all the time. US cable, internet, and mobile operators are dominated by 4-5 firms, another example of an oligopoly, which is just as bad as a monopoly. The issue here is not that there is a monopoly, the issue is the small resources which Armenia has to deal with are not enough for its people to be well and for the rich to get richer like they do in countries with healthier geopolitical circumstances.

This is just another excuse, what does it matter that something like this happened in the US or any other country? Does it now make it ok that this has happened in the US? If the people in the US are sheeple what does it make the Armenians then that they sell their most sacred right?

It was to show you and others like you, who think the West somehow is the perfect example for all others, to stfu with that garbage already. Belgium/EU/US do it this way, so Armenia should to, blah blah blah....

So can you tell me what laws those bankers have broken? Unlike the oligarchs in Armenia the Wall Street bankers work in the bounds of the law. You can say that they are not moral but one fact remains that they make sure that they don't break any laws. What happens in Armenia it seems the oligarchs do not even respect the laws, when they arrive in town it's like a king or a prince has arrived there and not a regular thug!

In one country the people at the top make the laws so that there is no way to break them, and when they do they buy their way out of it. In the other country the law is broken by the people at the top with no fear of punishment. Both suck, but at least the law in the latter country is more fair in its spirit.

[hrai]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

Can you tell me how many nations do NOT have monopolies in some things? Look at China, their entire major industries are monopolized by the state, yet how many investors do you hear complaining about it. Korean ship building is dominated by two firms, they collude all the time. US cable, internet, and mobile operators are dominated by 4-5 firms, another example of an oligopoly, which is just as bad as a monopoly. The issue here is not that there is a monopoly, the issue is the small resources which Armenia has to deal with are not enough for its people to be well and for the rich to get richer like they do in countries with healthier geopolitical circumstances.



It was to show you and others like you, who think the West somehow is the perfect example for all others, to stfu with that garbage already. Belgium/EU/US do it this way, so Armenia should to, blah blah blah....



In one country the people at the top make the laws so that there is no way to break them, and when they do they buy their way out of it. In the other country the law is broken by the people at the top with no fear of punishment. Both suck, but at least the law in the latter country is more fair in its spirit.

It's quite well known that Belgium is one of the most corrupt countries on the planet, the corruption is so deep and pervasive that no-one knows where it starts or finishes.

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

A nation can not get past its geography. As Spykman said 'Although the entire policy of a state does not derive from its geography, it can't escape that geography. Size, shape, location, topography, and climate posit conditions from which there is no escape, however skilled the Foreign Office, and hoeever resourceful the General Staff'. Based on the given circumstances, Armenia is doing pretty damn well. You would not know this because the last time you were in Armenia was in the 90s. Correct me if I am wrong. When you visit and stop listening to foreign sponsored smear campaigns and your disgruntled relatives, perhaps you will have a more healthy view of things.

How does any of that change everything I said about the Armenian economy and its shortcomings. If the economy cannot adopt in 20 years to the new reality what reason is there to believe that it will adapt in 30 or 40 years? Armenia is in a position to become the exporting hub of the Caucasus, but is wasting its potential and resources on corruption and building retarded hotels. This has nothing to do with the government or politics but everything with the private sector. What are the reasons that Armenians businessmen haven't taken upon themselves to conquer the Iranian market or the Georgian market? Armenia right now has access to the European market through Georgia, the Russian market and also the whole of the Middle-East and Central Asia. In every of those regions you have a substantial Armenian diaspora. Even with these advantages many Armenian businessmen are more than willing to import and get rich on the backs of their own people and at the same time export wealth outside of Armenia.
What are the reasons that Dodi Gago and his ilk are not building factories to produce goods for export? Right now Iran is isolated from most of the world and if the Armenians were smart they would be producing high quality goods and export it to Iran. Instead of doing that they are building hotels, super markets and churches. Because one cannot have enough of those!

Can you tell me how many nations do NOT have monopolies in some things? Look at China, their entire major industries are monopolized by the state, yet how many investors do you hear complaining about it. Korean ship building is dominated by two firms, they collude all the time. US cable, internet, and mobile operators are dominated by 4-5 firms, another example of an oligopoly, which is just as bad as a monopoly. The issue here is not that there is a monopoly, the issue is the small resources which Armenia has to deal with are not enough for its people to be well and for the rich to get richer like they do in countries with healthier geopolitical circumstances.

You are confusing two major things, what you are describing there are legal monopolies/oligopolies, it is not the same in Armenia. In Armenia you have some people who have unofficial monopolies/oligopolies. And they are kept in existence by the use of illegal means. If the Armenian government would stand up and say that those people legally have a monopoly for example on the export of cooking oil or sugar then there wouldn't be a problem. But once illegal means, like threats, beatings, arson etc. enter the economical life then you have a very different problem and one that can destroy the country.
Let's take the example of Korea that you have described, so let's say you move there and open a ship building company. Will one of the two companies send someone to beat you up so that you will close your business? No, they will try to compete you out of the market by the use of their expertise and experience.
Now let's say you open an importing business, and you want to import sugar in Armenia. Now what do you think that will happen, will they try to compete you out of the market or remove you with illegal means?
State sponsored monopolies/oligopolies are ofcourse bad however unofficial ones that are kept in existence by illegal means is ten times worse. And don't get me started on tax evasion and other things that need to be improved in Armenia.

Like I said before Armenia has the potential to be great but the potential is being wasted and after 20 years we are starting to run out of excuses and it is time to start looking where the real problems are. One of the biggest problems is corruption in Armenia, I know that there is corruption everywhere else in the world. However in Armenia corruption is a normal part of life and the only reason why most people in Armenia complain is because they are on the wrong end of the corruption chain.

It was to show you and others like you, who think the West somehow is the perfect example for all others, to stfu with that garbage already. Belgium/EU/US do it this way, so Armenia should to, blah blah blah....

Yes you are right let's close our eyes and act like there is nothing wrong in Armenia and that there are no fundamental problems in Armenia that need to be solved before Armenia can grow. Armenia today is a state build around corruption and crime while in 1918 it was a state built around an ideology and a dream. We can stick our heads in the sand and go lalalalala.... and point to other countries and yell 'look how bad it is there' or we can stop doing that and try to make our country a place where every Armenian would love to live.
The West has many great aspects that Armenia needs to adopt and learn from. Armenia in the past has always been a nation that adopted great ideas, like when Hellenisation came to the Middle-East, Armenia embraced it and adopted the good parts while at the same time rejecting the bad parts. Why can't Armenia today do the same thing? Adopting the best from the West and the East and putting an Armenian flavour on top of it. And most of my insights comes from talks with auditors working in Armenia. It seems to be a crime for some people to criticize what is going on in Armenia today and say something bad about Armenia.

In one country the people at the top make the laws so that there is no way to break them, and when they do they buy their way out of it. In the other country the law is broken by the people at the top with no fear of punishment. Both suck, but at least the law in the latter country is more fair in its spirit.

It doesn't matter how you try to sugar-coat it, only one of the two is breaking the law. It can be that you think both of them are doing something wrong but that is a totally different ball game.

[bell-the-cat]

It "collapsed on its own"

YEREVAN'S COVERED MARKET WILL MAINTAIN EXTERIOR AFTER RENOVATION - BUSINESSMAN MP

news.am
May 31, 2012 | 11:54

YEREVAN. - Armenian capital city Yerevan's Covered Market will preserve
its external appearance after the renovations, ruling Republican Party
of Armenia MP and businessman Samvel Aleksanyan-who owns the Market -
told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

He stated that the Market's rooftop had collapsed on its own.

"The [National] Seismic [Protection Service] gave the papers that
[show that] the [Market's] rear was not in good condition, [and] it
collapsed on its own. [But] We will restore it completely," Aleksanyan
said, and promised to preserve the building's architectural appearance.

"We will restore the [Market's] arches, too. There will be a market
there, and we are digging several floors to [also] build a parking
lot," the MP noted.

To the query as to whether building an underground parking could
affect the Market's seismic resistance, Aleksanyan responded with a no.

And to the question as to whether all this could have been informed
earlier so as not to raise uproar, Samvel Aleksanyan responded:
"Now, a commission is formed which will give its conclusion."


Yerevan's Covered Market cannot withstand construction of four floors - newspaper

news.am
May 29, 2012 | 07:40

YEREVAN. - Armenian capital city Yerevan's Covered Market will
encompass Yerevan's largest Yerevan City supermarket, which will have
four floors, Haykakan Zhamanak daily writes, referring to its private
source.

"According to our information, four more floors are planned to be
built on top of the Market, but the Market's roof cannot withstand
such weight; that is why the roof is 'being neutralized','' Haykakan
Zhamanak writes.


The demolition of Yerevan's Covered Market was part of a dirty scheme

tert.am
17:24 - 29.05.12

The demolition of Yerevan's Covered Market was part of a dirty scheme
as the construction was on the list of architectural monuments of
republican significance, an activist has complained.

`This is not the first time the dirty scheme has been put into
practice, with the territory being sold and later turning into a waste
dump, causing all the residents [in the neighborhood] to dream of a
clean area,' blogger Izabella Abgaryan, an activist of the civil
initiative Let's Save the Covered Market told a news conference on
Tuesday.

Addressing the problem, an acting lawmaker of the opposition Heritage
party, Styopa Safaryan (who is also a member of the group) called for
criminal liability, adding that they have already reported the police
on the situation. He said the construction was pulled down without
permission by competent authorities.

Safaryan noted that the Urban Development Ministry had approved the
plan to dismantle the market. without damaging its exterior.

As for Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan's statement that the City Hall
has not sanctioned construction work on the territory, Safaryan said
his words are more than incomprehensible.

According to him, the mayor's functions should not be restricted only
to saying whether or not there was any official permission.


COVERED MARKET WILL BE UP TO 4 STORIES HIGH?!

arminfo
Tuesday, May 29, 13:52

The scandal over the covered market in Yerevan is gathering pace.

Late in the evening on May 27 the arch roof of the Yerevan covered
market was demolished. Green activists were the first to alarm
about the situation. Activists sent a letter to the Yerevan Police
demanding punishment of those guilty for demolition of the arc roof
of the covered market.

Yerevan Municipality responded to the situation late in the evening
on May 28 i.e. Mayor Taron Margaryan posted a statement on his
Facebook page saying that the Municipality has not provided any
permit for construction on the covered market. "To fortify the
building constructions and to avoid accidents and breakdowns the
economic entity initiated relevant measures. A group of specialists
of the Culture Ministry and the Municipality worked in the area of
the market within the day and further steps will be made on the basis
of their resolutions," the mayor wrote.

Margaryan's statement arouses questions: why did fortification of the
building construction end in demolition and why do experts of the
municipality and the ministry care for the security instead of the
economic entity? Haykakan Zhamank Daily comments on the situation:
"By our data, the building will be up by 4 stories. And the roof was
to be 'neutralized' for that purpose."


Stepa Safaryan: 'Demolition of Yerevan covered market's arch roof is a crime'

arminfo
Monday, May 28, 16:44

Dozens of green activists have gathered near the covered market in
Yerevan today on May 28 to take the situation under control and save
the market after the arch roof of the market was demolished overnight.
It is noteworthy that the market is included in the list of historical
monument of Yerevan and demolition of the roof was, inherently, illegal.

"Demolition of the market's arch roof is a crime. The developer
company neglects relevant authorities and keeps destroying part of
Yerevan's history," Stepa Safaryan, a member of Heritage Party, told
media. "It is a developed illegal work style when construction is
carried out at nights, while there is no one on the construction site
in daytime to explain the illegal actions," he said.

Safaryan recalled the first attempt to demolish the roof was in March
and resulted in a 200,000 drams fine imposed on the construction
company. In addition, the developer had no necessary documents.
Nevertheless, there is no poster of the future market on the
construction site. "It is not only violation of the law. It also shows
that there is not approved project of the future market yet," Safaryan
said.

In this connection, activists will send a letter of the Yerevan
Police demanding punishment of those guilty for demolition of the arc
roof of the covered market. Earlier Mass Media reported that Armenian
parliamentarian Samvel Aleksanyan acquired the closed market from
Gagik Tsarukyan, Leader of Prosperous Armenia Party. The market is to
be transformed into a Yerevan City supermarket.