InternationalSaralanj or Kirk Kerkorian highway opens
Published: Saturday October 04, 2008
At the opening, President Sargsian with former president Kocharian (pointing) and the mayor of Yerevan (left). Photolure Yerevan -
The Saralanj highway, which took three years to construct at a cost of about 6 billion drams (approximately $20 million), is finally a reality. The inauguration ceremony of this impressive structure took place on the morning of September 29, with the participation of Armenia's present and former presidents, Serge Sargsian and Robert Kocharian.
The construction of the highway was implemented through the funds donated by American-Armenian benefactor Kirk Kerkorian's Lincy Foundation. The streets of Yerevan are heavily congested and the Saralanj highway is very important for the city, as it connects the Center and Arabkir communities, extending to Vagharshian Street, which continues on to the Davtashen Bridge, without any traffic lights. The highway begins with a 186 meter-long tunnel on Miasnikian Avenue and is six kilometers long. Along with the construction of the Saralanj highway, the Abovian-Miasnikian traffic junction has also been constructed, with 1.35 billion drams allocated from the state budget.
During his speech at the opening ceremonies, Yervand Zakharian, the mayor of Yerevan said, "Modern, quality road structures are being put into operation, where all requirements have been taken into consideration: the parallel link roads, local infrastructure, and the regulations for long-term structures. Today, projects which had been designed during Soviet years, most of which had been postponed for years and had been planned for a country with a strong state and lively economy, are being implemented."
It is worth noting that former president Kocharian suggested that in order to show appreciation for Mr. Kerkorian's contributions over the years, they should rename the Saralanj highway in his name. The current president understandably responded positively to this suggestion. Mr. Sargsian also noted that he highly values all the construction works carried out by the Lincy Foundation. "I am thankful to Kirk Kerkorian and the Lincy Foundation for financing these works. I hope that Kirk Kerkorian and the Lincy Foundation will continue carrying out projects in Armenia. I attach great importance to projects involving the construction of roads and schools and the streets of Yerevan. It is not right to separate or compare any of them, as with the help of the school construction projects our children now study in educational establishments that did not previously exist in Armenia. Road construction projects are also very important; as life lines connecting the different communities of the republic were opened. In order to eliminate traffic jams in the capital city and make streets better for the citizens, we had no choice but to undertake the project of reconstructing them, even though there were complaints during the construction works. Kirk Kerkorian's work will be appreciated."
Robert Kocharian feels better without a tie
The participation of the former president in the inauguration ceremony of the Saralanj highway was an opportunity to ask him personally about his return to the political arena, potentially as the prime minister. "This is the principal topic of rumors. I am still not bored with the freedom I finally have. I must also confess that during the past six months this is only the second time I am wearing a tie. The last time was on May 28, when I participated at the ceremony in Sardarabad. For the time being I have no desire to return to such a working regime. Once I decide to do so, you will hear it directly from me and not as a result of rumors. These rumors hamper peoples' work. It is also clear why these rumors are circulated," said Mr. Kocharian.
Regarding the sentiment that argues that in order to fix the domestic political situation in the country it is necessary to be rid of his heritage as president, Mr. Kocharian said, "It is impossible to get rid of my heritage, because you would first have to get rid of an established Republic of Armenia, a renovated Yerevan, a restored Gyumri, the Northern Avenue, the road on which we are currently standing, and the civil service system, which on the whole carries out its responsibilities professionally. How would we get rid of all this? I do not know. If we wanted to get rid of it all, we would have to destroy everything."
