Sona Aghekyan: “We have to adjust Yerevan to meet the needs of all residents”

Interlocutor of WomenNet.am is Sona Aghekyan, who is currently a member of the current Council of Elderly, nominated by the Yerkir Tsirani party electoral list for Yerevan Council of Elderly elections. She is convinced that a woman in politics not only makes the problems of the people more accessible and perceptible but also finds new solutions.

She was born in 1980 In Martuni, Gegharkunik province. After graduating from the school she entered the “Mkhitar Gosh” University, and then continued her studies at Interlingua Linguistic University, receiving a bachelor of pedagogy (English). She has worked as an English teacher at secondary schools, as well as a journalist, a proofreader. In 2016, the Center for Childhood Development “ArevlElla” has been established.-

– You are a member of the current municipal council, you are also nominated in the new elections, what did you do for one and a half years, and what did you give to Yerevan residents?

– This one-and-a-half year’s work in the Yerevan Council of Elders enabled us to get acquainted with the basics, understand the problems facing Yerevan residents and residents of the capital, the main part of which is the result of illegal decisions, indifference, and neglect. One year of work in the Council of Elders gave an experience to communicate with citizens. Every day, we received more than 20 complaints from citizens complaining about the violation of property rights, the poor condition of sewer lines. Headed by “Yerkir Tsirani” faction led by Zaruhi Postanjyan, as members of the Yerevan Council of Elders, we have raised our voices and have solved some of our problems … When you hear from the side of the Yerevan City Hall corruption, decisions are made through acquaintances and friends, etc., you just hear and pass, but when you enter the council of Yerevan as a council member you communicate with the citizens who have problems and have come up with these illegal decisions as a result of corruption, I know we live in a terrible reality.

– To what extent Yerevan is adapted to all social groups, including accommodation for many tourists? What would you change in Yerevan?

– Yerevan can be said to be tailored for citizens with mobility problems, including older people, though the budget of the capital has the opportunity to make the city more comfortable as a priority. Almost half of Armenia’s population lives in Yerevan, so we have to adjust Yerevan to meet the needs of all residents so that it can be comfortable. One of the primary issues in our program is this issue: adapting to pre-school institutions, educational, cultural centers, and public institutions. A simple example, if my leg is broken today, is in the gypsum, I will not be able to enjoy cultural centers …

– You have been actively involved in various protests against the mayor’s office of Yerevan, criticizing their decisions. If you are elected, how would you think if citizens choose to fight on this or that issue by blocking the street, doing protest actions?

–  If we are the governor and there are occasions that citizens will have dissatisfaction and will close the streets, we will first of all listen to the issues they are concerned about and we will provide solutions to these questions as soon as we come to serve and be accountable. The mayor is a community official and this one and a half year, when we were in the council; we realized that the presence of the elder was obligatory. They are choosing us to solve problems and we should do our best to let the Yerevan residents not have the opportunity to close the streets anymore…