ArmInfo.In addition to the large-scale project for the construction of the Ajapnyak subway (metro) station, an intermediate subway station near the Petak shopping center is planned to be built in Yerevan, as well as Armenia will purchase 250 new electric buses. Former Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, Chairman of the Board of the Armenia National Interests Fund (ANIF) Tigran Avinyan wrote on his Facebook page.
"These programs will significantly transform the entire transport system of Yerevan, solve the problem of air pollution, which has become a serious threat to the city," he said.
In this context, Avinyan said that within the framework of the EBRD Annual Meeting, he met with the EBRD Regional Director for Infrastructure Programs in Eurasia, Ekaterina Miroshnik, as well as and ERBD Regional Director for the Caucasus Catarina Hansen. During the meeting they discussed the possibilities of financing the abovementioned programs.
At the same time, as Armenia National Interests Fund (ANIF) reports, at the Annual Meeting and Business Forum of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Tigran Avinyan also met with Bella Manukyan, Director of ANIF's"Entrepreneur + State" Investment Fund. According to the source, the EBRD Annual Meeting is a platform for networking and exploring of cooperation opportunities between representatives of the Bank's member countries, partner organizations, business and civil society, as well as for discussions around economic issues and sustianbaility agenda.
The EBRD is a long-term partner for the Republic of Armenia. Over the years, the Bank has invested more than $ 1.6 billion in Armenia in more than 195 projects in the fields of infrastructure, energy, agriculture, finance and more.ANIF cosiderns the role of the International Financial Institutions in the investment landscape of Armenia and the standards they imply of outmost importance. There are a number of potentially interesting areas for cooperation opportunities with EBRD and ANIF is glad to continue the discussions around those.
It should be noted that the EBRD is the leading institutional investor in Armenia. The bank has invested over 1.6 billion euros in more than 195 projects in the financial, agricultural, infrastructure and energy sectors of the country. Moreover, 91% of these investments fell on the private sector.
Earlier, on April 28, at a government meeting, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the practical stage of the construction of the Ajapnyak subway station had begun. At first it was planned to take a government decision on this issue, but the situation has changed. "The government should finance the construction. However, we recently saw that, within the framework of one of the criminal cases, the city budget was compensated for damage in the amount of about 850 million drams (about $ 1.8 million). During the discussions, it was decided that the amount at the first stage, 750 million drams, will be directed to these purposes", Pashinyan explained, specifying that the criminal case is connected with the activities of the Parking City Service. Yerevan Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan, in turn, replied that the project would be implemented in 510 days, and maybe even earlier. At the end of November 2021, it was reported that the leading Russian Metrogiprotrans company has won a tender announced by the Yerevan Municipality for the development of the Ajapnyak subway station in the same name administrative district of the Armenian capital. As former Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan of Yerevan pointed out, the preliminary version of the project envisages the construction of a bridge across the Hrazdan (river, ed. note) only for the subway, while Metrogiprotrans also proposes to build a second level for cars or pedestrians. As the interlocutors pointed out, the construction of an underground subway station is preferable, since it is much more convenient for people using the subway and allows the development of various infrastructures. President of the Board of Directors of Metrogiprotrans Valery Abramson, proposed to the Armenian government a project for the development of a subway worth $ 500 million. "The Russian Agency for Export Credit and Investment Insurance (EXIAR) is ready to support the program on favorable terms. With these funds, we will be able to modernize the infrastructure of the old subway, as well as plan those sections of the city towards which the stations can be expanded," Abramson said.
Earlier it was reported that if the loan agreement with EXIAR is approved, construction work will last about 1.5 years. According to the city authorities' plan, the path to the new subway station with a length of 525 meters should pass through a tunnel, the construction of which began in Soviet times and remained unfinished. Then the Ajapnyak station remained unfinished, in the project its continuation from the Davitashen district on the north-western outskirts of the city.
