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.