Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan sent a message during the New Year and Christmas holidays.

"Dear citizens of Yerevan, we will soon say goodbye to 2023, which, in line with the spirit of recent years, had its share of challenges and trials. At the same time, this year was a year of work and plans.

The reconstruction and repair projects at Yerevan kindergartens are proceeding with significant momentum. In 2023, thousands of children attended a completely new preschool environment. These works will continue in 2024 and 2025 until all kindergartens in the capital have high-level conditions for accepting our children under their roof.

The issue that concerns the citizens of Yerevan the most is the issue of transportation reforms in the capital. This is one of the most significant projects of the city, the multi-layered components of which relate to every resident of our town in one way or another. The transport reform is associated with the road infrastructure and the general ecological background of the capital. It primarily impacts the quality of life in Yerevan and its significant improvement.

Within the framework of transport reforms, a large volume of road construction and repair work has already been carried out, which is now being carried out on a project basis and with a new quality. This year, for the first time, the bus fleet of the capital city has been replenished with high-quality buses and trolleybuses, the operation of which is only the beginning of improving the quality of passenger transportation in our city.

Along with the expected introduction of new rolling stock, in 2024, the number of lanes allocated to public transport will increase, and the new system of paid parking spaces will be launched, which will become the subject of wide discussions, especially among our city drivers. I will only mention that only systemic solutions will enable us to make significant reforms. The public interest is always a priority. Therefore, I expect a voluntary approach and support from the residents of our city in our standard way of making Yerevan a safe and comfortable city.

Dear compatriots, in 2023, the thoughts and eyes of the people of Yerevan and also the entire Armenian people were directed towards our brothers and sisters from Artsakh, who, at the end of last year, were first subjected to the severe test of a long siege and then forced displacement. At this challenging moment for our fellow citizens, it was and is essential to receive the sincere love and consolation of all of us, but above all, the unfailing brotherly support.

Yerevan, as the largest community of the Republic of Armenia, having the necessary resources, carried out the relocation of tens of thousands of Artsakh citizens together with state-owned bodies. As a result, more than 11,000 families from Artsakh (about 43,000 citizens) settled in the capital. The Municipality of Yerevan is currently developing and implementing programs designed to contribute to solving the issues of residence, education, and employment of Artsakh citizens in Yerevan. Several Artsakh specialists have already filled the vacant positions in the subordinate structures of the Yerevan Municipality, and this process will be continuous.

On behalf of myself and the people of Yerevan, I express my gratitude to our Artsakh compatriots for being the pioneers of the national struggle for decades. I also thank you and welcome you for enriching Yerevan with the rich Artsakh dialect. I especially want to emphasize that you, dear citizens of Artsakh, will always feel the attention and care of the Yerevan community.

Dear fellow citizens, 2023 was also notable for holding political elections in the capital. As a result of the ongoing pre-election processes in the context of the challenges in the country and the elections held on September 17, the most competitive council of elders in the history of Yerevan was formed. Competition always works for the benefit of the citizens. Therefore, it is our duty to meet the expectations not only of the Yerevan citizens who have the right to vote today but also of the future adult citizens attending kindergarten and school age with critical, cooperative, and, first of all, voluntary work.

Dear citizens of Yerevan, May the coming year envelop you, your children, all relatives, and loved ones with warmth and joy. I wish all of us a year of peace, achievements, and progress. Happy New Year".