Agababyan: I Agree to Transfer the Sports Complex and the Reserve Field Cheaply to Wealthy Individuals

The reserve field adjacent to the ‘Hrazdan’ stadium is an organic part of the sports complex, and it is impossible to hold international matches in ‘Hrazdan’ without it. Ashot Agababyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ‘Hrazdan Sports Complex V.J.’ LLC, expressed this view in a conversation with Sputnik Armenia.

It should be noted that the State Cadastre Committee has decided to take the reserve field adjacent to the ‘Hrazdan’ stadium from businessman and former Republican Party MP Ashot Agababyan, who has been using it under lease for many years.

“We have no income from it. On the contrary, we have been allocating money from our own pocket for years to maintain the field. At the time when the Football Federation carried out renovation work before the game against the Turkish national team, the grass was removed. We still owe the federation. After the bankruptcy process, we have no financial means and cannot do anything,” Agababyan noted.

According to him, officials at the Yerevan city hall informed him that they were unaware it was a reserve field, yet it was already stipulated in the documents that an athletic school named after Albert Azaryan would be built there.

“They are taking the reserve field from us because we cannot pay the rent, especially since there are no teams that will come to train there or transfer us funds for that purpose. That is why we suggested that the state be somehow helpful and, within the framework of the law, allow the field to remain under our management. Perhaps at some point we would find funds from elsewhere and carry out renovations,” the interviewee stated.

According to Agababyan, they were given ten days to somehow resolve the issue; however, nothing was achieved in that short timeframe, and on April 3, the Cadastre Committee is expected to take the reserve sports field.

“I even agree to transfer the sports complex and the reserve field quite cheaply to wealthy individuals. Let them come and renovate it. Right now, ‘Hrazdan’ is stored in the bank as a judicial collateral, but we have found someone who can pay off our debt under the condition that we remain indebted to him, and he provides six months to find an investor and solve the problem,” Agababyan mentioned.

In his opinion, about $5 million is needed for the renovation of the sports complex; however, the important thing is not just the renovation but also the correct exploitation afterward. According to him, when the market adjacent to the sports complex operated years ago, there was an opportunity to earn significant profits and pay large taxes, but all of that could not be maintained. Now Agababyan is not opposed to the government or the football federation, as he describes it, entering the partnership with a share of 50% to jointly save the stadium.

It should be noted that former MP Ashot Agababyan was the General Director of the ‘Hrazdan’ Sports Complex from 1993 to 1999 and has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ‘Hrazdan Sports Complex V.J.’ LLC since 1999.