Pashinyan: The process of returning illegally privatized lands  adjacent to Meghri Free Economic Zone has started

ArmInfo. The process of  returning illegally privatized lands adjacent to the Meghri Free  Economic Zone (FEZ) on the border with Iran has begun. The Prime  Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan announced this on September 11  during a government hour in parliament.

According to the prime minister, the Armenian government and the  investigating authority did everything in their power to resolve the  issue as soon as possible. Now it's the judiciary's turn to deal with  this issue, he noted.

To recall, on March 7, at a government meeting, the Prime Minister of  Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said that former senior officials, being  insider aware of plans to establish the Meghri Free Economic Zone in  advance, managed to acquire adjacent lands at ridiculous prices.  "During my last year's visit, it turned out that there was no state  land for the project," Pashinyan said.

Already in early August the General Investigation Department of the  Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative  Committee completed a preliminary investigation in a criminal case.  The case was instituted on the fact of alienation of land in the  territories adjacent to the Meghri FEZ as a result of fake imaginary  auctions with the assistance of a group of persons through forgery by  the former head of the Karchevan community of the Syunik region.

Based on the sufficient evidence acquired in the criminal case, 6  persons were charged, including the former head of the Karchevan  community (two episodes) for committing official falsification under  Article 314 of the RA Criminal Code, an employee of the municipality  participating in the fictitious auction, and 4 bidders - for  assistance in committing official forgery.

As the head of the Ministry of Economic Development and Investment of  Armenia Tigran Khachatryan previously reported, at this stage, the  land area attached to the FEZ does not exceed 2 hectares. In the  future, it should reach 10 ha, and then expand to 50 ha. However,  negotiations with private landowners did not lead to the desired  result.

The total cost of constructing a free economic zone in Meghri is  estimated at $ 32 million, of which $ 28 million is capital  expenditure. The construction of a free economic zone on the border  with Iran is one of the priority investment programs of the RA  government and provides for the creation of a free economic zone with  an area of 10-15 hectares, with the possibility of further expansion  to 45-50 hectares. It is assumed that 100-120 companies will operate  there, revenue of which in 10 years will amount to $ 52 million. It  is planned to export manufactured products to Iran, the EAEU  countries, the Middle East, Turkmenistan and others. Over the past 10  years, the total investments of all companies are planned to be  increased to $ 350-400 million. The functioning of the FEZ is already  enshrined in law in the EAEU Customs Code. In total, seven such zones  will operate in the EAEU under the duty-free system.