Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited Mashtots Park on May 1 together with Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan.

Sargsyan gave instructions to dismantle the clothing stores located in the park thus turning the environmental dispute into his own PR tool, Haykakan Zhamanak paper reports.

“It’s hard to say whether this move was pre-arranged or not; however, Mr. Sargsyan went beyond his authorities by giving such instructions,” the paper says.

“Yerevan is a municipality, with Taron Margaryan being the head of it. The president has no power to settle such issues. Authorities of the local self-government and state government bodies are separated, and the executive head, leader of the country has no right to instruct head of the local self-government,” the daily quotes Gagik Jhangiryan, coordinator of the legal assistance office of the opposition Armenian National Congress as saying.