In the very front of Berd Town Hall, in the vicinity of 18th-century cemetery, a business has been built, which hasn’t been operated yet. The residents of Berd are annoyed with the fact that a business has been built in the park, next to the cemetery, they have boycotted it. The memorial dedicated to those who died in the Great Patriotic War is also there. The posters on the uprights of the construction built 5 years ago, but not operated have already come off. Rafik Muradyan, the director of the Tavush Regional Service for Preservation of Historical and Cultural Reserve-Museums and
Historical Environment, informed that the premises of the 18th-century cemetery were used as a place of burial in 19th-20th century too. He informed that the premises of the cemetery are registered as a historical and cultural site, however, the monument had no reserved area and added, “Berd Town Hall seized the opportunity that the monument had no reserved area, considered it as a park and granted the territory with the consent of the town council to Surik Nersisyan, a resident of Berd, with the right to rent and construct.”
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Rafik Muradyan, who is originally from the district of Berd, held the office of the deputy director of the Tavush Regional Service for Preservation of Historical and Cultural Reserve-Museums and Historical Environment at the time. He said, “I was against granting that territory at the time, a lot of problems arose, the complaint reached the State Cadastre Committee, the Cabinet, the prosecutor’s office dealt with it. According to the cadastre map, that territory is considered as a park. Marshal Baghramyan planted a tree there at the time, in order to preserve the tree they extended it through the roof of the construction.”
Surik Nersisyan’s brother, Sargis Nersisyan, who works at the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, along with some colonel, built a khachkar in commemoration of the dead freedom fighters at the entrance of the park. The residents of Berd think that it was done also to ease the public discontent stirred up after building that business.
Voskan SARGSYAN
