71 Properties of the Ministry of Defense to Be Sold, Including Military Base Buildings: Hetq

The State Property Management Committee will soon complete the transfer of 71 individual properties belonging to the Ministry of Defense, after which it will address the issue of their sale. The list includes buildings of military bases located in Yerevan and other regions.

Hetq has learned that negotiations are currently underway with potential buyers regarding the sale of several military base buildings and land plots belonging to the Ministry of Defense in Yerevan and the provinces. According to the same information, buyers are being shown the properties, and the terms of sale are being discussed.

We wrote to Arnak Avetisyan, the head of the State Property Management Committee, seeking clarification on what is happening while attaching the list of properties known to be ready for sale.

In response to our inquiry, Gevorg Babayan, the deputy head of the State Property Management Committee, stated that according to the government decision “496-A” dated April 15 of this year, several buildings and structures on the Ministry of Defense’s balance should be transferred to the State Property Management Committee. After accepting the properties, the Committee must present a proposal to the government regarding their sale or other management purposes.

The deputy head of the State Property Management Committee did not deny our information and noted, “At the same time, we inform you that according to the aforementioned decision, part of these properties has already been handed over to the Committee, while work on the re-registration and transfer of the remaining part is still ongoing. Only after the completion of these tasks will issues concerning the sale or other management of the properties listed in the decision's appendix be discussed, and the quantity of properties to be sold, methods of sale, etc., will be clarified.”

We examined the necessity for the government’s decision of April 15, 2022, “496-A.” It turns out that real estate, including undeveloped land plots, is currently unused. Non-profile properties were once transferred to the Ministry of Defense under the assumption that the proceeds from their subsequent sale would be directed towards meeting the ministry’s needs, which has not materialized.

This assertion in the decision's justifications requires further verification. “For years, the ministry has incurred and continues to incur expenses for the maintenance of these properties, such as caretaker salaries, electricity, etc., which are not justified from the perspective of the ministry's budget. At the same time, potential investors regularly submit proposals for selling or leasing these properties, the appropriateness of which is outside the authority of the Ministry of Defense,” the justification states.

Considering the substantial material loss of the Ministry of Defense due to the war and the limited financial resources required to replenish these losses, the ministry finds it advisable to sell the aforementioned 71 properties at market values and direct those funds to meet the ministry's needs, primarily for the purchase of modern weaponry.