A View From Afar

We were debating what city Yerevan resembles. A little bit like Paris, which feels natural given spots such as Republic Square, Aznavour Square, and France Square. In the heart of France Square, at a bustling crossroad, stands Rodin’s sculpture. However, it is so small that Yerevan residents often stage large protests to get a better view. These protests lead to traffic being blocked, allowing people to approach the sculpture more closely.

France’s influence is strongly felt; the ties with France are very close. Perhaps not as strong as the ties with Russia, but this city has no resemblance with Moscow. However, this city bears no resemblance to Moscow at all, despite the abundance of khrushchyovka [A khrushchyovka is a type of low-cost apartment building constructed in the Soviet Union during the early 1960s, during the time of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev] buildings in Yerevan. The khrushchyovkas here, made of tuff, vary in color — some are black, some grey, and others pink — but they still fail to evoke a sense of recognition in me.

The city appears small, at least visually. However, this is an optical illusion; only the city center is small. If you’ve lived here for a long time, it’s impossible to walk in Kentron without encountering an acquaintance. You can traverse the center in half an hour. And it won’t grow any larger, as there’s no room for expansion, with mountains surrounding it.

Comparing it to Tbilisi, which exudes a solemn and serious atmosphere like that of an adult city, Yerevan may seem more childlike and domestic in nature. However, when you go outside the center and view the neighborhoods and districts from above, it leaves a powerful impression, especially at night. The sight of numerous small fires dotting the entire area is captivating to behold.

I was surprised to learn that several European cities, such as Geneva or Bern, are actually smaller than Yerevan. Thus, Yerevan’s size is not as small as I had previously thought.

Similar to Bern in the Soviet TV series “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” Yerevan is a magnet for intelligence services from all over the world. The city is practically inundated with intelligence operatives, easily accessible from both the East and the West. It serves as a comfortable platform for observing one another and conducting separate negotiations, akin to General Karl Wolff’s meetings with Dulles. [In 1945, German SS functionary Karl Wolff, as part of Operation Sunrise, assumed control and coordination of intermediaries to establish contact in Switzerland with the regional headquarters of the US Office of Strategic Services, led by Allen W. Dulles. This initiative aimed to negotiate the surrender of German forces in and around Italy.]