Are Russian Forces Buying Border Gardens in Meghri? MP Comments on Spreading Rumors

Recently, there have been reports that the gardens and plots located in the border zone of the Shvanidzor community in Meghri are being expropriated and purchased by the Russian Federal Border Guard forces. Investigations have revealed that these claims do not align with reality; no plots in the Shvanidzor or Nrnajzor areas have been sold, and the Russian border guards have not purchased any land and cannot do so either.

This was stated by National Assembly member Armen Khachatryan on his Facebook page. He noted, “It has become clear that the gossip stemmed from the fact that several agricultural plots belonging to the Shvanidzor community are located in the border zone, and to enter the border zone, one must obtain permits from the border guard service. The process of obtaining these permits has been organized by the head of the Meghri community, which involved collecting the passports and other documents of the garden, plot owners, and gardeners. Once the necessary checks are completed, these documents are submitted to the Russian border guard service to receive new permits.”

He added, “The permits are issued for a period of one year, and this process is repeated every year. Consequently, the annual renewal of these permits has given rise to various rumors and information dissemination.”

Khachatryan emphasized that the residents of Meghri are not willing to sell even a tiniest piece of land for any amount of money, which is proven by decades of history. Furthermore, such processes are under strict state control.