ArmInfo. It is necessary to completely abandon the allocation of state lands without competitive procedures. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated this at a meeting of the RA Government on January 30.
At a meeting of the executive body, the duty free market Armenia company proposal on organizing customs-free trade in the territories adjacent to the Bagratashen and Bavra checkpoints was discussed. According to Chairman of the RA State Revenue Committee David Ananyan, there is a shortage of such stores at both checkpoints. An offer from the company was received in July 2019, and at that time this offer was the only one. Then, three more companies applied for, and all four companies were given the appropriate permits for the construction work. It is planned that the heads of the communities of Ashotsk of the Shirak region and Ayrum of the Tavush region will provide state land leases for 49 years to companies out of competition.
At the same time, the volume of investments in the territories adjacent to the Bagratashen checkpoint will amount to 2.5 million euros, to the Bavra checkpoint 1.5 million euros. As a result of the program, 150 new jobs will be created in Bagratashen and 100 in Bavre. Within the framework of the project, it is planned to build a network of stores of customs-free trade. The head of the SRC also said that Duty Free Market Armenia is a subsidiary of the Russian company Duty Free Market, which has extensive experience both in Russia and in the Baltic countries.
However, the SRC initiative to transfer state lands without a contest raised objections from the Prime Minister. According to him, even if will be the only participant, it is necessary to publicly invite other companies. It is possible, Nikol Pashinyan continued, that in this case better proposals will be received, and the state will get the maximum benefit from this. In addition, as the head of government noted, the amount of rent is not clear. For this reason, he removed the issue from the agenda, urging him to finalize it.
