Restart of Gyumri Friendship Park construction

ArmInfo. The construction works of Gyumri Friendship Park have been resumed since March, 2022.

The official launch of the park construction (7.2 hectares area),  located near Charles Aznavour Square, was in October 2021. Due to  adverse weather conditions in recent weeks and winter months,  construction had been temporarily stopped.

"We have resumed the works in the park with a new impetus. At this  stage, the external engineering infrastructure works are being  carried out: external water line, sewerage, irrigation system, power  supply cables. The construction of the electric substation and all  the alleys are on in parallel. By mid-September, the first stage will  be completed," says Mushegh Gonchoyan, Site Supervisor of  Construction & Implementation, Gyumri Friendship Park. 

The park reconstruction project is implemented by the Tourism and  Urbanism Charitable Foundation (TUF). It is the first model of  private-public cooperation and socio-economic development in Gyumri. 

The construction of some objects of the park is planned to be  completed in the middle of September this year. Then the park will be  open for the citizens of Gyumri and its guests. In fall 2023, it is  planned to fully open the park with all its facilities. 

"For the first time in Armenia, a participatory design concept has  been developed in the framework of the Friendship Park project. The  park should be built with the active involvement of residents. The  reconstructed park in Armenia will introduce a new model for the  correct zoning, preservation, and sustainable development of green  areas," says Yelena Muradyan, Project Manager, Gyumri Development  Programs, TUF Foundation.  

The total budget of the park reconstruction project is about $12  million, of which more than $4 million has been invested by the  Foundation's partner organizations and several individual  benefactors. 

The Government of the Republic of Armenia is involved in the  renovation of the engineering infrastructure of the park and adjacent  streets with the budget of $1.8 million within the framework of the  "Local Economy and Infrastructure Development Project" program  carried out on a World Bank creditъ

The EU4Business "Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for  Armenia'' project, which is implemented by German Development  Cooperation (GIZ), also joined the park reconstruction project.   Within the framework of this project, 20 Vernissage pavilions will be  built in the park as well as a skating rink, which is essential  element of winter tourism. 

The reconstructed Friendship Park will develop the city's  infrastructure connecting the historic center of Gyumri (Kumayri)  with its residential and industrial areas. It will not only stimulate  the growth of tourism in Gyumri but will also become the first modern  green area in Armenia. 

Tourism and Urbanism (TUF) Charitable Foundation

In July 2020 the Tourism and Urbanism (TUF) Charitable Foundation  undertook the projects by the IDeA Foundation targeted at the tourism  and urbanism development (in Gyumri, Dilijan, Tatev, Artsakh, and  Yerevan). The Foundation develops innovative projects in tourism and  urbanism, promotes sustainable regional development and positions  Armenia on the world map as a competive tourism destination.