The Armenian government has adopted a new regulation allowing individuals who are not physically present in Armenia to purchase apartments in newly constructed residential buildings.
Under the previous rules, a buyer either had to be in Armenia and personally appear before a notary or authorize another person through a power of attorney to complete the transaction on their behalf. Under the government’s new arrangement, however, buyers no longer need to be in Armenia, appoint a representative, or have documents notarized. They can purchase an apartment remotely.
It is worth asking what the picture will look like two or three years from now if an attempt is made to determine who, exactly, became the owners of apartments in Armenia’s newly built residential complexes through this remote procedure while never setting foot in the country. Which countries will these buyers come from? What ethnic backgrounds will they have? Or could some individuals, despite formally holding the citizenship of one country and belonging to one ethnic group, in reality be proxy purchasers acting on behalf of people from entirely different countries and ethnic backgrounds?
These questions are particularly relevant against the backdrop of the agenda that official Baku continues to advance under the banner of the so-called “return of Azerbaijanis,” presenting it as a prerequisite for the completion of the peace process.
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Viewed in that context, the government’s decision adopted today inevitably raises legitimate concerns. When considered alongside the developments unfolding in the Armenian-Azerbaijani arena, it prompts a fundamental question: for whom is the government making it easier to buy property in Armenia without ever visiting the country?
Many people have long asked—with what might be called a touch of folk skepticism—for whom all these new residential buildings in Armenia are actually being constructed, given that apartment prices remain well beyond the reach of the overwhelming majority of Armenian citizens.
Hakob BADALYAN
