From now on, land for construction and maintenance of churches in  Armenia not to be transferred to AAC

ArmInfo.  From now on, land for the construction and maintenance of churches in Armenia will no longer be transferred to the Mother See of Etchmiadzin as property,  but will be allocated through free-use agreements. At its February 5  meeting, the RA National Assembly Committee on Territorial  Administration, Local Self-Government, Agriculture, and Environmental  Protection approved the first reading of amendments to the RA Land  Code submitted by the RA government.

According to Asatur Vardanyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial  Administration and Infrastructure of the RA, the amendments propose  abolishing the free transfer of state and municipal lands to the  Armenian Apostolic Church. Previously transferred lands will remain  the property of the Church, but new lands will be provided only on a  free-use basis. The changes are aimed at regulating the use of church  lands. In doing so, the government seeks to streamline the land  allocation process and legal relations with the Church.

"Considering that Part 2 of Article 64 of the Land Code concerns the  gratuitous provision of land plots, and Article 75 already provides  for the provision of state- and municipally owned land to the AAC for  free use without a competitive tender, the draft law provides for the  repeal of Part 2 of Article 64 of the Land Code," the Deputy Minister  stated.