Yerevan council approves renaming of Amiryan Street after King Pap

The Yerevan municipal council on Tuesday approved a proposal to rename the capital's central Amiryan Street after fourth-century Armenian monarch King Pap, adopting the measure as part of a broader package of non-debated agenda items.

Mayor Tigran Avinyan presented a bundle of 45 unreported items, including the installation of commemorative plaques and a series of street-renaming decisions to be forwarded to the national cadastre authority.

The renaming drew criticism from opposition council member Iosif Kubatyan of the National Progress faction, who argued the issue had been repeatedly revisited in council sessions.

"We have been battling over King Pap at every meeting," Kubatyan said, accusing the ruling majority of imposing the change despite claims of broad consensus.

Avinyan defended the proposal, saying it had been placed among non-debated items to avoid prolonged discussion. He added that few residents were aware of Arsen Amiryan, after whom the street had previously been named.

The ruling Civil Contract faction approved the measure as part of the package vote, formally endorsing the renaming of Amiryan Street to King Pap Street.

Separately, the council approved the transfer of 45 newly acquired Yutong electric trolleybuses, valued at 4.33 billion drams, to the municipally owned Yerevan Electric Transport company.