Yerevan Development Tracker

Pashinyan says Russia may be the best partner, as no company in Armenia could build a metro

In a Boon TV interview Pashinyan said the government's analysis pointed to Russia as possibly the best partner, given the parameters Yerevan's metro is designed to and was originally built to. “Today there is no company in Armenia” that could take on a metro if the government put one out to tender, he said. Working with Russia would keep the difficulties to a minimum without removing them altogether. He announced no agreement, contractor or financing terms.

Public hearing held on the draft overriding-public-interest decision

City Hall set the hearing for 12 October at its building at 1 Argishti Street. It was meant to present the investment programme, the next procedures and the compensation rules to affected owners, rights holders and anyone else interested. Written submissions had to be in by 9 October. On 19 October City Hall said the draft had completed domestic circulation and the hearings had taken place. The government had still not adopted the decision by then.

City Hall now plans to start construction in phases in 2027

Replying to a query from Sputnik Armenia, City Hall said the current plan is to start construction in phases in 2027. The exact date depends on expropriation and on the tenders. It expects the government to adopt the overriding-public-interest decision, and land acquisition to begin, before the end of 2026. Before any formal tender the city will first sound out the international market. Construction was originally due to start in 2024.

International concept competition for Kond announced

The Urban Development Committee launched an open international competition for ideas to regenerate Kond, in two stages and with a total prize fund of 45 million AMD. Anyone could enter the first stage; concept packages were due on 10 June 2021.

Seven concepts go through to the final stage

The jury finished assessing first-stage entries on 6 October 2021, according to the official schedule, and seven proposals went through to a final stage open only to those seven architects. Neither the finalists' names nor the results protocol was ever published.

City Hall meets residents about starting stage 2

Yerevan City Hall said it had held a working meeting with Kond residents on launching the second stage. Around 900 property units had been inventoried in the district. The announcement was in the future tense: the project “would enter” a practical phase. Stage 2 actually started ten months later.

Mayor says Kond will be fully expropriated

At an administrative meeting at City Hall, Mayor Avinyan said all of Kond would be expropriated for a new urban-development programme. The property-certificate scheme, he said, was meant to let residents protect their rights as fully as possible. City Hall reported 254 legalisation applications and 25 decisions already adopted.

“Here is Kond” marchers call for the old quarter to be kept

More than 50 people joined the “Here is Kond” march. They asked the authorities not to demolish the ancient quarter, called for a third stage of the competition and put forward projects to improve living conditions and develop Kond for tourism.

Stage 2 opens to the seven finalists

The Urban Development Committee opened the closed second stage to the seven stage-1 finalists. Entries were due on 1 October 2024, and the results were to be published on 23 December 2024.

Government decision 999-Ն declares overriding public interest on Kond's northern edge

Government decision 999-Ն, in force from 8 July 2024, covers about 13,200 m² between Saryan and Paronyan streets, next to the main post office building at Saryan 22. It recognised overriding public interest over the non-state properties in the zone (63 entries on Frik, Tapabashi, 1st and 2nd Tapabashi, Kozerni, Sh. Rustaveli, Surb Hovhannes, Saryan and Paronyan streets) and consented to the alienation of the state-owned plots inside it. The land is for the World Trade Center project, the acquirer is World Trade Center Yerevan CJSC, and alienation had to start within 24 months, by 8 July 2026. Unlike the Kond competition, this act is legally binding. The World Trade Center project has its own page in this tracker.

City Hall confirms the competition ended without a winner

Mayoral adviser Sona Tevanyan told a City Hall session that nobody had been awarded first place because no concept fully met the requirements. She said the Urban Development Committee and City Hall were working to combine the existing proposals into one concept.

More than 670 applications filed to legalise property in Kond

Mayor Avinyan met Kond residents about restoring their rights to the land plots, courtyards and outbuildings attached to their homes. About 900 property units are registered in the district, and City Hall had received more than 670 applications.

Government still hasn't filed its justification for the expropriation decision in court

Hetq reported on a 62-year-old woman who has lived on Kozerni Street in Kond for 40 years. In September 2025 she sued to challenge the grounds for decision 999-Ն. On 2 February 2026 the Administrative Court gave the government a month to submit written explanations; when Hetq published, nothing had been filed.

Merged Kond concept shown at a meeting chaired by the PM

Urban Development Committee chairman Yeghiazar Vardanyan presented the urban-development concept for Kond at a meeting chaired by the prime minister. It is built on preserving the historic environment while developing the district economically and reviving it culturally. No document was adopted.

Pashinyan tells Kond residents a law on the district is planned

The day after the meeting, Pashinyan walked through Kond with Mayor Tigran Avinyan, Education, Science, Culture and Sport Minister Zhanna Andreasyan and Urban Development Committee chairman Yeghiazar Vardanyan, and showed residents the concept. According to the official account, a law on Kond is planned so that further work is done by mutual consent, and the programme can be carried out over time, in stages. The concept covers 16 ha, 10 of them in the design-intervention zone. The area has 4 monuments of republican significance on the state list and 8 newly identified ones, mostly houses of local significance. The proposed model is a partnership of the state, a private investor and the community, drawing on the experience of Athens' Plaka district. Sputnik Armenia reported Pashinyan as saying the government wants neither to demolish the houses nor to take them from residents. Selling to the state would be each owner's choice, he said, and City Hall and the committee would draw up a phased development and restoration plan.

Kond gets a line in the government's 2026–2031 programme

Parliament approved the government's 2026–2031 programme by 63 votes to 24. The programme, endorsed by government decision 1236-Ա of 20 August 2026, gives the district one sentence in its chapter on urban development and spatial planning: “The urban environment of Yerevan's Kond district will be modernised.” It sets no separate deadline, budget or method and does not mention the planned law. The programme says the government will adopt a five-year action plan on its basis.

Administrative Court closes a Frik Street owner's case after she withdraws it

The Administrative Court closed case ՎԴ/5591/05/25. The owner of a house at 3 Frik Street, a property listed in decision 999-Ն, had asked it to recognise that a relationship under the law on alienation of property for overriding public interests existed between her and the state. She withdrew the claim on 2 October 2026, so the court did not rule on the merits, and the act gives no reason for the withdrawal. The decision can be appealed to the Administrative Court of Appeal within one month of its publication, so it may not yet be final.

WTC Yerevan presented with a Foster + Partners design and USD 470 million in investment

PM Nikol Pashinyan attended the presentation of the project, where Foster + Partners presented details of the design and Pashinyan said: “Today, we are effectively talking about the tallest building in Yerevan's history.” The PM's office called it Armenia's largest public-private partnership project, with total investment of USD 470 million, and gave the shareholders as Renshin LLC (56%), Haypost CJSC (25%) and the Republic of Armenia (19%). A management agreement with Hyatt Hotels Corporation and a memorandum of cooperation with UK Export Finance on partial financing of the project were signed; no financing amount was disclosed.

Dismantling at Saryan 22 officially stated to have begun

The PM's office release on the presentation said dismantling of the buildings and structures at 22 Saryan Street, the former Haypost headquarters and main post office, had begun and was going well. We found no demolition permit or exact start date, and no demolition of Kond houses has been reported.

Avinyan pitches Noragyugh to UAE investors, no deal signed

The mayor took Ahmed Al Shamsi, group CEO of Trojan Construction Holding, and Silk Capital founder Eduard Sukiasyan through the Noragyugh plans. They also talked about the Promenade complex and Dalma Gardens. No agreement came out of the meeting.

Parliament adopts government programme promising to launch Noragyugh

The National Assembly approved the government's 2026–2031 programme by 63 votes to 24. Its urban-development chapter says the Noragyugh “Downtown Yerevan” investment programme “will be launched”, but gives no deadline or budget. The next item promises to carry out the plans for the Dalma urban forest and new green zones in the Hrazdan gorge and Nork–Marash. Civil Contract's April 2026 election programme had named 2036 as the target year for the project.

Mayor discusses Noragyugh with Royal Front Investments and Dubai Duty Free

Avinyan met Sina Al Fattahi, a board member at Royal Front Investments, and Salah Tahlak of Dubai Duty Free to go over the project's progress, the development concept and openings for investment. He posted on Telegram that interest in the project “continues to grow”. No deal, sum or timeline was announced.

Decision 1357-Ն declares 27 properties overriding public interest

With decision N 1357-Ն, the government declared overriding public interest over 27 properties on the planned stretch between Admiral Isakov and Arshakunyats avenues, which the act describes as an extension of Monte Melkonyan Street. They are in Kentron, Malatia-Sebastia and Shengavit.

€60.09 million ADB loan signed

Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan and Donald Lambert, head of the Asian Development Bank's Armenia office, signed the €60,090,000 loan agreement for the Yerevan Urban Development Investment Program at the Ministry of Finance to pay for the new road section.

Budget and specifications published

The road will cost $85.67 million, of which $65.17 million comes from the ADB loan and $20.5 million from the state budget. The main road is 1.86 km long, with six lanes on a 24.5 m carriageway. The plans also include a 269-metre reinforced-concrete bridge over the Hrazdan and a tunnel underpass with a roundabout at Arshakunyats Avenue, and the work is due to be finished by 30 March 2028.

Draft would add five more properties to the expropriation list

A draft government decision would extend overriding public interest to five more privately owned properties on Kashegortsneri Street and Isakov Avenue. Properties missing from the 2023 decision N 1357-Ն had turned up during acquisition and permitting.

City Hall holds the launch ceremony

Yerevan City Hall marked the start of implementation with an official ceremony and signed the technical-supervision and consulting contract there. The construction contract had already been signed.

Government decides to buy 27 plots for the road

The government decided to start buying the land for the road, 27 plots in all, from individuals and legal entities. The route crosses the Noragyugh quarter and will link Shengavit and Erebuni with Ajapnyak, Davtashen and Arabkir.

City Hall promises a July start

Mayoral adviser Aneta Babayan told a City Hall working meeting that all preparatory procedures were complete. An external audit had been carried out and a report on the project's compliance with international standards approved, the engineer and contractor were in place, and the financing questions had been settled. The contractor had already sent its work plan to the engineer for approval.

City Hall says construction has started

City Hall announced that work had started on the new road and its 269-metre bridge over the Hrazdan. The main road is about 1.9 km long, or about 6.6 km with the ramps and secondary roads. On 23 September, 168.am published a reply from City Hall that put the start of construction works at 15 August 2026.

EBRD signs a €236m loan for the southern Sisian–Kajaran sub-section

Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan and EBRD Managing Director Nandita Parshad signed the €236 million sovereign loan in Yerevan, where the bank was holding its annual meeting. The money goes to the southern section of the Sisian–Kajaran road, about 24.2 km long and part of North–South Corridor Tranche 4, and the EBRD says it is the largest road infrastructure project it has financed in Armenia.

EIB Global signs a €236m loan

EIB Global signed a loan of up to €236 million to co-finance construction of the Sisian–Kajaran road, which the bank calls the largest finance contract it has ever signed with Armenia and a flagship project of the EU's Global Gateway initiative.

ADB commits €236m in co-financing for the northern sub-section

The northern sub-section of the Sisian–Kajaran road is 27.1 km of three-lane road with tunnels and bridges, at a total cost of €335 million. The Asian Development Bank will put €236 million towards its reconstruction. ADB expects the works to take up to 90 minutes off the journey along the whole road.

Government allocates 8.43bn AMD for the Kajaran–Agarak section

The government approved about 8.43 billion AMD (roughly $22 million) for construction of the 32 km Kajaran–Agarak section. Smaller sums went to land survey work on the northern Sisian–Kajaran sub-section (22 million AMD) and a safety review of the Bargushat tunnel project (8.7 million AMD).

The 84 km Ashtarak–Gyumri section opens to traffic

Traffic is now running on the 84 km Ashtarak–Gyumri section, the corridor's north-western approach to Yerevan on the Davtashen and Ajapnyak side. On 16 June 2026 Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan told parliament it was “completed and fully opened to traffic”.

Deputy PM: Sisian–Kajaran contracts to be awarded by the end of 2026

In his report to parliament, Deputy PM Tigran Khachatryan said about 504 km of roads were built or renovated in 2025, and 10 bridges and 2 interchanges had major repairs. Both sub-sections of the 60 km Sisian–Kajaran segment were out to international competitive tender, he said, with contracts to be awarded by the end of 2026.

Work starts on the 7.2 km Kajaran tunnel

The Road Department Fund signed the contract with a joint venture of two Iranian firms, Tunnel Sadd Ariana and Abad Rahan Pars International Group, at a ground-breaking ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Iranian Vice President Seyed Hamid Pourmohammadi. The job covers the 7.2 km tunnel, which bypasses the 2,535 m Meghri Pass, and about 4 km of access roads; it shortens the route by about 14 km and joins the 32 km Kajaran–Agarak section now being built. A $200 million loan from the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development and about $195 million from the Armenian government pay for it, with completion due within six years. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on 27 August 2026 that the tunnel work was going well.

Sisian–Kajaran consultant tenders move to technical evaluation

On 5 August 2026 the North–South management council, chaired by Deputy PM Tigran Khachatryan, approved shortlists for a Sisian–Kajaran project management consultant and for a firm to supervise construction of the roughly 27 km northern section. The Road Department Fund opened the technical proposals on 1 October (management consultant) and 6 October (supervision); financial proposals are opened only after the technical evaluation. Neither tender covers the construction itself.

Ministries discuss detailed design for the 161.5 km Artashat–Sisian section

A feasibility study and preliminary design drawn up in 2016 put the Artashat–Sisian section, which starts south of Yerevan, at 161.5 km, with 59 bridges (13.2 km in total), 9 tunnels (12.4 km) and 22 interchanges. Deputy Infrastructure Minister Kristine Ghalechyan and a Finance Ministry team under Deputy Minister Edgar Mkrtchyan went over the feasibility study, the route, priorities and financing, and sketched out the steps toward a detailed design.

Cashless ticketing starts on buses, trolleybuses and the metro

Since 1 January 2025 Yerevan's buses, trolleybuses and metro no longer take cash. During a transition that ran until 1 February 2025, a ride cost 100 AMD on buses and the metro and 50 AMD on trolleybuses. Tickets are sold through transport.yerevan.am and Telcell.

Continuous bus lane opens from Mashtots Avenue to Argishti Street

The municipality opened a continuous public-transport lane that runs along Mashtots Avenue and on through Khorenatsi, Beirut, Italy and Argishti streets to the Victory Bridge, in both directions. Traffic at the junctions along the way was reorganised to fit it.

Government allocates 2.14bn AMD for 45 trolleybuses

The government approved 2,137,850,000 AMD from the state budget to buy 45 new trolleybuses for Yerevan and replace 104 outdated lifts in apartment blocks. It cited cleaner electric transport and more frequent service on the routes.

45 Yutong trolleybuses contracted for 4.33bn AMD

Yerevan bought 45 trolleybuses for 4,326,300,000 AMD in total, or 96 million AMD each. The 12-metre vehicles carry at least 85 passengers and have a wheelchair space with a retractable ramp.

Tender announced to replace the last 170 old buses

Mayor Avinyan said a new tender had been announced for the remaining 170 old Higer buses, after which “there will be no outdated vehicles left in Yerevan's public transport fleet”. The city also plans to buy 250 eighteen-metre electric buses. The tender's value, bid deadline and funding source were not disclosed.

Whole trolleybus fleet replaced

The municipality said all 45 new trolleybuses were now on the routes and every old trolleybus had been taken out of service. Five trolleybus routes run, some with changed end stops.

Trolleybuses handed to the city operator; mayor pledges electric-only purchases

The Council of Elders voted to hand the 45 Yutong ZK6128BEVG trolleybuses, valued at 4.326 billion AMD, to Yerevan Electric Transport CJSC free of charge. Mayor Avinyan said that once the Higer buses are replaced, the city will buy nothing but electric vehicles for public transport.

Electric buses included in $650M investment package for Yerevan

A session chaired by the Prime Minister approved a $650 million investment package for Yerevan, with the government committing to the financing. It covers three projects: the Ajapnyak metro station, a full modernisation of the metro, and an electric-bus programme that Mayor Avinyan said would finish the reform of surface public transport. No breakdown by project was given, and no bus count or lender was named. On 6 July Avinyan told officials to wrap up negotiations with international financial institutions as quickly as possible.

Fares can now be paid with Apple Pay and Google Pay

Mayor Avinyan announced in a Facebook video that passengers can now pay with Apple Pay and Google Pay on every kind of public transport, the metro included.

ADB completes the EMERGE study for Yerevan's electric buses

The Asian Development Bank, with support from the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA), delivered its preparation study for EMERGE (Empowering Mobility through Electric Urban Solutions), the project to modernise Yerevan's public transport. It contains a bus service plan and concept designs for two electric-bus priority corridors and two depots for battery buses. The financial, economic and procurement analysis is meant to support possible financing from ADB and the Green Climate Fund. The study was due to be finalised at a workshop in August 2026.

Mayor targets 30% shorter peak-hour trips by 2030

At a working meeting at City Hall, Mayor Avinyan said peak-hour trips on public transport should take at least 30% less time by 2030, and asked why people wait 20–30 minutes for a bus. Bus lanes will come in stages on the city's three main corridors. The first, on one corridor, will be a kerbside lane with road markings and cameras; lanes down the middle of the street, which would need the road rebuilt, are planned later. Avinyan wants all of it done within two to three years. Deputy Mayor Suren Grigoryan said a tender for 171 new buses would be announced soon. The city has yet to choose between 12- and 18-metre buses and will take the EMERGE consultants' proposals into account.

Operator announces a $500m ten-year expansion plan

Marcelo Wende, CEO of Armenia International Airports, said the company wants to double the size of the airport over ten years with a $500 million investment. Boarding gates would go from 6 to 16, and the arrival, passport control and customs areas would double.

Zvartnots handles a record 5.6 million passengers in 2025

Zvartnots served 5,615,789 passengers in 2025, beating the 2023 record of 5,330,308, according to Civil Aviation Committee figures published by Hetq. The government's justification for the concession amendment says the passenger terminal built under earlier master plans can board about 3 million passengers a year and check in 4 million.

Concession extended to 2067 in exchange for $425m of investment

The government approved the fifth amendment to the Armenia International Airports concession on 22 January 2026, and a day later Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan and Martin Eurnekian of Corporación América signed it. The concession, which dates from 2001, now runs to 31 December 2067, and the operator has committed to a $425 million capital investment programme.

Ministry drafts removal of the old round terminal from the monuments list

From 11 to 27 March 2026 the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure had a draft government decision out for comment on e-draft.am. It would take the old Zvartnots terminal off Yerevan's state list of historical and cultural monuments, where it was entered as a monument of national significance in August 2025. The ministry argued that the master plan submitted under the amended concession includes the $425 million programme due by the end of 2033, part of which is modernising the old building and giving it a new function, and that monument status stands in the way. In August Docomomo Armenia asked the government to drop the idea and the operator to rethink the terminal expansion so that the building survives intact.

Culture ministry council approves the airport master plan with conditions

The scientific-methodological council of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport looked at the airport master plan on 16 July and approved it, on condition that later architectural designs and works are discussed and agreed with professional bodies. The old terminal's monument status was not on its agenda, the ministry told Azatutyun, which reported the decision on 30 July. The infrastructure ministry told the same outlet that taking the building off the list is no longer being considered. An option for altering it is, and will be presented when the master plan goes to public discussion. According to Azatutyun, the delisting draft never made it onto a government session agenda.

Pashinyan meets Corporación América's leadership on airport plans

Pashinyan met Martin Eurnekian, CEO of Corporación América Airports, along with Armenia International Airports CEO Marcelo Wende and general manager Sergey Avetisyan. Eurnekian reported on the company's programmes in Armenia, and the talks covered Zvartnots, Shirak airport in Gyumri and infrastructure upgrades. Both sides agreed to keep talking. No terminal design, start date or new investment figure came out of the meeting. Back on 11 June, Pashinyan had told ministers that Zvartnots “must be expanded as quickly as possible”.