Rent for Areas Adjacent to Parz Lake Increased Nearly 6 Times

Following the visit of Minister of Environment Romanos Petrosyan to the Dilijan National Park, the lease agreement for the areas adjacent to the Parz Lake natural monument has been urgently reviewed. This was reported by the Ministry of Environment.

Minister Petrosyan had instructed that a detailed examination of all leasing agreements within the national park should be conducted without delays, identifying any discrepancies and inconsistencies, providing a true assessment of the leased areas, and revising the amounts due for leases in close and constructive cooperation with the operators.

Consequently, shortly after, a series of meetings have been organized by the management of the Dilijan National Park, including with the lessee of the areas adjacent to Parz Lake.

During the agenda of the Management Council meeting held on August 28, 2020, at the Dilijan National Park, the conditions of the contract signed on July 4, 2006 (valid until July 4, 2031) between the Dilijan National Park and OPELA LLC were included and discussed.

As a result of the agreements reached during these meetings, the lease contract has been revised, leading to an increase in the rental fee of nearly 6 times.

Under Minister Petrosyan's directive, strict supervision has also been established regarding the requirement for operators in the national park to possess the necessary permits for conducting economic activities.

Thus, having a relevant water use permit is mandatory for conducting economic activities in specially protected natural areas. The utilized areas must be equipped with drainage and water purification facilities and septic tanks. Operators must have the required legal permits for conducting any land construction activities and must undergo environmental expertise for any relief changes.

No unauthorized and arbitrary actions will be tolerated in specially protected natural areas. Legal entities and individuals entitled to conduct activities in protected areas will be under the supervision of state non-profit organizations managing the specially protected areas throughout their operational period.

Additionally, it was reported that several issues concerning illegal logging were discussed during Minister Petrosyan's visit to Tavush Province, with a directive given to pay special attention to developing mechanisms to prevent and eliminate cases of illegal logging and wood theft.