We can’t provide as many parking spaces as there are employees of the Opera and Theater National Academic Theater. This is what Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan declared during the March 22 special session of the Council of Elders of Yerevan, touching upon the question of member of the My Step faction Artur Manukyan on whether or not the privilege for employees of the Opera and Ballet National Academic Theater would remain in case of delivering the underground parking lot at Liberty Square to trust management.

Mayor Haik Marutyan stated that there had been a discussion on the matter and that Yerevan Municipality had received a letter from Opera and Theater National Academic Theater.

“We can’t provide as many parking spaces as there are employees, and experience has shown that people buy cars with a small amount of money and that almost everyone has a car. Last year, Armenia imported about 75,000 cars, and more than half of them are in Yerevan,” Marutyan said.

Member of the Prosperous Armenia Party’s faction Mikayel Manrikyan recommended leaving the parking lot under the subordination of the municipality and not deliver it to trust management. He also stated that the parking lot could have been built with investments worth AMD 20-30 million and keep the revenues for the community.

Hayk Marutyan stated that, nevertheless, there are limited parking spaces and the money is not enough. “If we don’t change the tariff, and if the tariffs increase 5-8 years later, we can acknowledge this and add a point in the contract stating that the conditions may change along with the increase of tariffs.”