Armen Sarkissan
Armen Sarkissan 
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 2010 photo | |
| Name in Armenian | Արմեն Սարգսյան |
| Birthplace | Yerevan |
| Birth date | 23 June 1953 |
| Languages | Armenian, Russian |
| Ethnicities | Armenian |
| Dialects | Eastern Armenian |
- This article is about current President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian (term from 2018-?), not about former president Serzh Sargsyan.
Former Prime Minister of Armenia, then a London-based businessman and an expert in energy security, now President of Armenia. Founded "Yerevan My Love" charity with Prince Charles. Founding president of Eurasia House International in London
Armen Sarkissian (Armenian: Արմեն Սարգսյան;[note 1] born June 23, 1953, Yerevan, Armenian SSR) was the Prime Minister of Armenia from November 4, 1996 to March 20, 1997. Previously, he had been Armenia's ambassador in London, having been a faculty member at the University of Cambridge when Armenia became the first country to gain independence from the former Soviet Union.
He is now one of the directors of Eurasia House.[1] He is also a member of the Global Leadership Foundation, an organization which works to promote good governance around the world.[2]
Articles
Risky Roof? Former Prime Minister Gets Green Light to Build Additional Floor on Cascade Building
00:05, November 11, 2012
By Nareh Sahakyan
Walking down the steps of Yerevan’s Cascade Complex, I suddenly felt a sense of asymmetry; that something was amiss.
What is “out of place” is the construction project of Armen Sargsyan, a former Armenian Prime Minister.
One month ago, work began on a one story addition atop a building that overlooks the Cascade’s manicured lawns and Cafesjian Museum.
It seems that Sargsyan, who owns apartments 74 and 75 at #3 Tamanyan Street, wants more living space on this prime piece of Yerevan real estate.
The building was built in the 1950s and is part of a series of buildings that encircle the Cascade’s green space; a popular meeting place for tourists and locals alike.
But the edifice has structural problems brought on by a damaged sewer pipe that serviced a kindergarten that used to operate on the ground floor. The escaping water has damaged the building’s foundation.
The fact that the subway passes right beneath the building also increases the concerns of building residents that it cannot safely hold the weight of the additional floor now being built.
Anoush Arakelyan, a building resident, says that her floors shake when the subway passes by. This summer, Arakelyan was told by workers renovating her apartment that the walls were dangerously out of line.
“I was sick for a week. When I returned home, I was dumbstruck by what I saw. The new floor was already standing,” says Arakelyan.
According to the RA Civil Code, a home owner in a multi-family building must obtain the permission of all home owners before making any changes to the overall dimensions of the building. In a nutshell, this means that Armen Sargsyan had to obtain the permission of Anoush Arakelyan and the other property owners before starting construction of the additional floor.
When I asked whether Sargsyan had indeed obtained such permission and whether a structural examination of the building had been conducted, the former prime minister’s office in London assured me that all the legal procedures had been followed and that the Yerevan Municipality had given the green light for the construction to go ahead.
Residents claim they were never consulted prior to the construction. Vladimir Dilanyan, who owns apartment #28, says he called the municipality hot-line when the construction began. He says that two young men came around and assured him that the issue would be resolved. They left and Dilanyan never heard back from them.
Irate residents have also sent a letter to President Sargsyan, requesting that he personally intervene and halt the construction. Their letter was forwarded to the municipality.
The municipality issue a statement to the press, saying that it had received a project proposal several months back from the Kentron Administrative District to add mansard roofs atop #3 Tamanyan Street and a building facing it. The statement said that such additions would not violate the symmetry of the buildings or their architectural cohesiveness.
When residents of the building opposite #3 Tamanyan Street heard about the plan they went into a panic and immediately called the mayor’s office. They were told that nothing would be done to their building.
According to construction specialist Sarhat Petrosyan, such projects are acceptable if done in a professional manner, after examining the building’s structural integrity.
According to architect Gourgen Mousheghyan, the building has a unique exterior and symmetry that will be violated by such an addition.
Despite the protestations of residents, the construction will soon be completed.
As I was leaving, resident Lia Osipyan expressed her main concern.
“What worries us the most is the seismic condition of the building. Our safety is at risk.”
(Nareh Sahakyan is a fourth year student at Yerevan State University's Faculty of Journalism)
Source: HETQ
© 2012 Hetq online: All rights reserved.
Armenia's UK-based ex-PM Wants to be Useful for Homeland
18.02.2010
RFE/RL
Lusine Grigorian in London
Armenia’s London-based former prime minister, who recently co-organized with a British royal a major fundraiser to help rebuild several historical and architectural cites in his native city Yerevan, has voiced a strong desire to be ‘useful’ for his homeland. But Armen Sarkissian, who briefly headed the Armenian government in 1996-1997, stresses he has no interest in engaging in politics back in Armenia.
“I believe that one can be useful for his country not only through political participation or party affiliation, by being in power or in opposition. I think that one can avoid all this and still help his homeland simply by focusing on the main areas where he can make a small contribution,” Sarkissian said in an exclusive interview with RFE/RL.
At present Sarkissian, 56, lives in the United Kingdom and is known for his activities as businessman and an expert in energy security. He is a senior member of energy and economic forums and is the founding president of Eurasia House International in London.
A charity event as part of the “Yerevan My Love” project initiated by Prince Charles and Sarkissian took place in Windsor Palace on February 10, with visiting President of Armenia Serzh Sarkisian (no relation to the ex-premier) attending the reception. The project is dedicated to preserving architecturally significant buildings in Yerevan and putting them to use to improve the life experience of disabled children, young people and disadvantaged families. Its first beneficiaries are four structures of historic and architectural value in the center of Yerevan, which will serve as social centers for vulnerable groups and gifted children under the auspices of Holy See Saint Etchmiadzin. The February 10 reception hosted by Prince Charles was also attended by many Diaspora Armenians, who had specially arrived in London from different countries for the occasion.
“I also hope that it will grow into a sort of cultural movement in which, of course, there should be no political or partisan presence – this is just an attitude towards the city,” said Sarkissian. “My friendship with Prince Charles led us to a very natural idea to have a night to serve several purposes, first Armenian-British friendship, then gathering friends from different corners of the world who share our ideas or attitude, and for us it was also a means to launch the project.”
Notes
- ↑ As director of Eurasia House, he uses the spelling Armen Sarkissian, which is the French transcription of his name in Russian (Армен Саркисян). On former Soviet passports, the Russian names were usually transcribed to Latin alphabet using a French transcription system since French was the language used on it as the diplomatic language.