Armenian authorities cancel free transfer of land to Armenian Church
The Government of Armenia has deprived the Armenian Apostolic Church of the right to receive land plots free of charge into ownership, leaving only the right of use.
On December 25, 2025, the authorities of Armenia decided to abolish the provision that allowed the free transfer of land plots into the ownership of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The corresponding decision was adopted at a government meeting on Thursday, News Armenia reports.
The decision concerns a regulation that had allowed land plots owned by the state or by local communities to be transferred to the Church without competition and on a gratuitous basis, for permanent use.
The justification for the decision notes that Armenia’s current land legislation provides for the possibility of transferring such plots free of charge into the ownership of the Armenian Apostolic Church for the construction of churches and ecclesiastical buildings, as well as for their subsequent maintenance.
At the same time, the authorities deemed it necessary to revise this approach and abandon the practice of transferring land into ownership.
Under the new decision, instead of transferring plots into ownership, it is proposed that the Armenian Apostolic Church be granted the right of gratuitous use of land.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Pashinyan had accused the head of the Armenian Church of posing a “threat to Armenia’s national security.”
