The American University of Armenia’s (AUA) campus experienced disruptions on Monday afternoon because of blocked Baghramyan Ave., following JD Vance’s visit to Yerevan.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Armenia on Feb. 9, meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the presidential residence on Baghramyan Ave.. The visit prompted strict police blockades and restricted movement from the Demirchyan crossing up to Proshyan crossing.
The security restrictions directly affected the university, located at the intersection of Baghramyan-Proshyan streets, steps away from the presidential residence. From approximately 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., students experienced significant difficulties reaching and accessing campus.
Earlier that afternoon, Yerevan Metro announced that trains would skip the Baghramyan station, which is about a minute from AUA. Police limited and at times completely banned pedestrian access along parts of Baghramyan Ave., the Baghramyan metro station, Lover’s Park, and the Demirchyan street intersection.
Several students reported running late to events and classes.
“I spent 30 extra minutes, as the metro was off and there was horrible traffic, so I just walked,” said Elene, an undergraduate student at AUA.
“The police officer asked me to take a longer route to cross Baghramyan’s opposite side,” said Anton, also an undergraduate student. “But as I told them I am about to cross to AUA, they let me with some minor irregularity.”
Anton didn’t face much significant disruptions, however as he claimed, had he been in a hurry, bypassing would have been a big matter.
The disruptions were particularly noticeable during the evening hours, affecting undergraduate students leaving campus and graduate students arriving for classes.
In the surrounding area, pedestrian crosswalks were inconsistently controlled. For about 20 minutes, police held pedestrians at the exit gates of Lover’s Park on Demirchyan Street, preventing them from walking down Baghramyan Ave. toward the city center.
According to an officer on duty, the reason was that “the cortege may pass by any minute,” although it did not pass during that time.
Police officers said the temporary restrictions and rerouting were necessary security measures.
For AUA students, the visit was not just a diplomatic event, but an evening of rerouted paths, delayed arrivals and unexpected detours.
The piece was developed by Gohar Adamyan, Zhanna Kuroyan and Hasmik Marukyan
[Editor’s Note: The photographs are taken by Gohar Adamyan]