Civilnet
By Siranush Adamyan
Armenia’s government has approved an investment project spearheaded by a company co-owned by a close friend of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, granting the firm preferential access to public land without competitive bidding.
According to an investigation by Vahe Sarukhanyan for Hetq, the decision was adopted without public discussion on July 31 and endorsed the plans of “Ijevanian Bacon” LLC to expand its pig farming operations in the village of Mayisyan, in Armavir Province. The deal includes the direct sale of two land plots and the long-term lease of a third—all without auction.
The main shareholder of “Ijevanian Bacon” is Frunze Ghazaryan, a Ukrainian-Armenian businessman with longstanding personal ties to Pashinyan. Both hail from the same neighborhood in Ijevan, and the Ghazaryan family has funded various charitable and infrastructure projects in the town. Ghazaryan’s brother Andranik has also appeared at public events with Pashinyan’s allies and was involved in past development schemes in the prime minister’s home region.
According to government documents, “Ijevanian Bacon” plans to invest about 2 billion drams (approximately $5 million) in building a pig farm capable of producing over 2,000 tons of pork annually and creating 49 jobs. The company has already invested nearly half of that amount and requested an additional 15.2 hectares of land for further expansion.
The land sales have drawn scrutiny from some government bodies. Armenia’s Ministry of Finance warned that bypassing competitive tenders undermines market fairness and suggested opening the opportunity to other interested investors. The Cadastral Committee raised legal concerns about illegal constructions on the land, while the Ministry of Environment initially questioned whether the project had passed proper environmental assessments. Despite these objections, the Ministry of Territorial Administration—headed by an official with past ties to the region—dismissed the concerns and proceeded with the proposal.
Legal provisions in Armenia’s land code allow for direct land sales in cases where investment programs are approved by the government. However, critics argue that the process lacks transparency, especially when high-level political connections are involved.
The Ghazaryan family’s broader business group operates extensive agricultural and real estate projects in Ukraine and has ties to local political elites. The second shareholder in “Ijevanian Bacon,” Vanadzor-born businessman Sanasar Kuyumchyan, is also active in Ukraine’s pig farming industry and has been involved in pro-European political circles there.
Read the full investigation in Armenian: Կառավարությունն աջակցում է վարչապետ Փաշինյանի ընկերոջ ներդրումային ծրագրին
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