RA Prosecutor General`s Office demands return of land to RA Ministry  of Defense 

ArmInfo.  The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia demands that the deed of gift concluded between the Ministry of Defense and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church be declared invalid. In addition, the Prosecutor's Office is challenging the transfer of a number of churches to the AAC. This is reported by Hetq.

On July 30, 2025, the Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit with the  Anti-Corruption Court against the Ministry of Defense and the Church,  demanding that the transaction be declared invalid and that the  consequences of invalidity be applied. The case has not yet been  accepted for proceedings.

The Prosecutor General's Office explained to Hetq that, within the  framework of its powers to protect state interests, the Government's  decision of March 29, 2018 on the gratuitous transfer of property to  the was reviewed. Based on this  decision, an agreement on the gratuitous transfer of real estate was  concluded between the Ministry of Defense and the Church on August  30, 2019.  The buildings and structures provided to the Ministry,  which are state property, with a total area of 9427.3 square meters,  as well as a special-purpose land plot of 8.9 hectares, were  alienated to the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church without compensation.

"The relevant legislative acts, the RA Government Resolution No.  336-A of March 29 and the real estate donation agreement were  concluded in violation of the requirements of the law. In this  regard, the prosecutor's office filed demands to invalidate the  transaction and apply the consequences of invalidity>, - the  Prosecutor General's Office reported.

On March 29, 2018, the government led by Karen Karapetyan made a  decision to transfer state property located in the administrative  territory of Getahovit village of Tavush region, with an area of  10,518.2 square meters, worth 518 thousand drams. It was also decided  to return the buildings and structures with a book value of 221 drams  and donate them to the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.

The Governor of Tavush, through the head of the Getahovit community,  had to carry out the procedure for changing the intended purpose of  the special-purpose land plot of 8.9 hectares occupied by the said  property and necessary for its maintenance and use, which is state  property.

On February 13, 2025, the Aparan Community Council filed a lawsuit in  the Administrative Court against the head of the community Karen  Yeghiazaryan. They demand that the decisions on recognizing the  churches built on the territory of the community as community  property, transferring them to the church under a donation agreement  and registering the ownership rights be declared invalid. The  decision of the head of the community is also being challenged in the  Administrative Court by the Prosecutor General's Office. In 2019, the  head of the Aparan community, Karen Yeghiazaryan, issued three  decisions recognizing the churches built on the territory of the  community in the villages of Yegipatrush and Yernjatap as community  property. After that, the churches, along with the adjacent  territories and donation agreements, were transferred to the Armenian  Apostolic Church.  The Prosecutor General's Office filed a lawsuit in  the Administrative Court against only one decision of the head of the  community. In particular, on February 7, 2024, the prosecutor's  office filed a lawsuit with the court to invalidate the decision to  recognize the church in the village of Yegipatrush as community  property, register the property rights that arose to it, as well as  to donate this property to the Armenian Apostolic Church and register  the latter's ownership rights.

The Prosecutor General's Office told Hetq that the lawsuit was filed  in order to protect state interests. In particular, it was noted that  the churches are historical and cultural objects, and therefore are  not subject to alienation, and the head of the community transferred  them to the Armenian Apostolic Church by a corresponding decision and  a deed of gift.