So here I am again, in Yerevan, its been a year since I was here, but I’d say this time alot has changed. I am just going to write a few of my own personal observations, and please feel free to share yours!

The Biggest change I’ve ever seen has to be the opening of the new airport terminal. I arrived, hardly believing I was in Armenia, to a clean, fresh, air conditioned, brand new smelling terminal. It is fair to say it’s all been very tastefully done, and the arrivals process was absolutely perfect. I kind of missed the fights for visa, the bizarre “queuing” system. All of this was no more, I even had a bit of a joke with a customs person. It is no exaggeration that I was out of the airport in 15 minutes! This is a record for anywhere i’ve ever been! It seems everyone working there is young, and much more inclined to help. I think this is a perfect way to enter the country, and really does make a huge difference.

As for Yerevan ….. It’s a shameful mess. Dusty, smelly, reminding me of more of a middle eastern bazaar at the moment! It seems everywhere I look there is construction, but not even nice building, the kind of building which seems to involve digging up entire streets, throwing piles of bricks everywhere, and not cleaning up the dust. I guess we can’t complain. I arrived at our apartment to find the street is now dug up in 3 places, apparently to build a new subway. I guess this is neccessary, but it’s little things like putting the bins back on the stands which I think need to take priority. I don’t think Ive seen anywhere else in the world where brand new litter bins can fall off their stands and just lie on the floor, looking even worse than the rubbish itself! I would have thought the city may have prepared for tourist season by cleaning up a little, it seems not, I guess they know the numbers are guaranteed. But certainly, it is a mess, and I hope it cleans up in the next couple of years. Much of the lincy work on the sidewalks seems to have been wasted, as they are now dug up or littered once more.

Russian music seems to have taken the back seat to Armenian pop now, out of the random places I passed on my walk today, only one had the token Russian dance music blasting out. The rest was new generation Armenian pop, small observation, but if music is your sphere, this represents a decent shift in pop culture , before it was extremely rare to hear anything but rabiz on the streets if anything.

Prices? Up again, quite drastically. I am paying the same for fresh vegetables as I am in the UK, which is known for high prices. I don’t honestly know how the average Armenian family manages to make ends meet.

Other than that, it’s nice to be in Yerevan, to hear Armenian, and to smell the air! It’s going to be a good summer

I can’t really think of anything else….I’ll post some photos soon.

It’s another one of those again, without wishing to trivialise the death of individuals, it seems that these “tit for tat” killings are becoming an almost monthly occurence. This time 3 men were killed in a cemetry, 33 year old Artavazd Vartanian was reportedly shot at his own father’s grave today. His father was also assassinated in 2006.

It is the latest in a string of “mafia” style killings where perpetatrators seem above the law and will unlikely be punished. This gives me less concern for the whole thing if I’m completely honest. Here in the UK a story hit the news today about a group of men who kept a disabled man prisoner and abused him for 4 months without anyone realising…. If Armenia’s wealthy businessmen want to go around killing each other, then so be it, let them do it, but don’t disturb my sleep with your aimless gunshots.

This is of course my subjective opinion.

After a few weeks of work in Yerevan, I am happy to return to rural Armenia. The greater Yerevan area is getting harder and harder to enjoy and the expense of staying there is becoming unreasonable. Sadly, in my time in the capital, I went visiting old friends in my favorite part of the center which is Tigran Mets past St. Gregory. It is part of Yerevan that still has some neighborhood charm with Tashir being the only major blight on the area. However, that is about to change.

My dear friends are beside themselves as what happened in the area of which is now North Avenue is due to repeat itself with the recently passed law allowing the government to use eminent domain for development purposes. The area from Tashir to the Erebuni area border on Tigran Mets will soon be seized by the government and auctioned off. The area’s best known residents are the owners of the large meat market that starts opposite the Gyum Shuka. Plans are even calling for the ripping down of the triangular shaped apartment building that starts on the south corner across from Tashir which would displace hundreds of families. Will these families receive $200,000 so they can buy a similar apartment in the center? I doubt it.

Rumors are thick but it is suspected the Sarkissiyan family is behind this push as it is the last area of the center of Yerevan that is populated by local Yerevansti. Of course, knowing the current leadership’s business interest it is also a power grab as some of the most successful small meat merchants reside in this area. As we know, most of the current oligarchs have major interest in the food chain as it provides great cash flow. Again, we see the use of the government to condense power for a few and remove the ability for small business owners to make a reasonable living.

My friends have condemned the current building spree that seems to be fueled by investment from outside Armenia. I am constantly asked, “Who is buying these apartments in the center?” Most people who read this blog are Diaspora or like myself care greatly for the country. Many people from this love wish to live in Armenia some of the year so they buy a modern apartment in the city center but it seems most remain ignorant of the social injustices that occurred to build that apartment. At the same time, as Onnik talks about today, there doubts about the structural integrity of those buildings.

The locals are angry and they are frustrated because at every turn they are loosing the opportunity to compete. Many feel they are being pushed out of the center and even the areas of Komitas, Barikamutsun and Monument, people are realizing they can no longer afford property but foreign peoples can easily buy the property for what by developed nation standards is a bargain. My friends, if you are investing in Armenia, be sure you are investing in a way that makes you part of the community. What makes Armenia strong is its sense of community. Having the whole center of Yerevan full of rich people will quickly end the culture which people have come to be a part of.

We cannot say the market will take care of itself due to the lack of freedom and the use of law to force people out. If you are investing or have invested, look at your motives. Would you be better giving that money in rent then continue to encourage the oligarchs to rip apart what was five years ago one of the nicest city centers I have ever seen.

Unexpectedly, the Armenian parliament failed to push a change to the law on state tv radio which would have placed limits on foreign broadcasters using the state media Airtime. This could ( and was suspected to) have meant that Radio Free Europe, which currently broadcasts it’s programs on Armenian State Radio, would have been effectively denied airtime. Radio liberty as its known, is financed by the US Government and is seen as one of the most balanced in Armenia, for internal affairs at least.

It was worrying many that the country’s last remaining relatively balanced mass media would have been closed down effectively in a very clever attempt by the Armenian government. What happened was a surprise, many pro government parties boycotted the vote today, and as a result it wasnt passed. Victor Dallakian , a leading opposition figure, is claiming this as his initative.

It is not clear if the package will be pushed through again, but for now, at least, Radio Free Europe still has it’s liberty.