Armenian MP Develops his Business in Georgia in Violation of the Law: Paper

Georgian TV station Monitor yesterday broadcast an investigation into Armenian MP Vardan Ayvazyan’s forays into pisciculture carried out with violations of the law in the Armenian-population village of Tabatskuri  in the Georgian region of Borjomi, reports Armenian newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak.

According to the Georgian broadcaster, Ayvazyan, acquiring Tabatskuri Lake in a formal auction in 2010, has completely prohibited fishing for the local population for the past 3 years, thereby depriving more than 400 families from a source of income.  Speaking to the TV reporter, the MP claimed his company has filled the lake with 10,000 fish, which are being caught not by the company, which made the investment, but by “ordinary poachers”.

In the televised report, a fisherman living near the lake describes how he has been forbidden to fish and his dinghy was pierced with a knife. Asked by the reporter if he was aware of this, Ayvazyan said, “I didn’t know his boat was torn. But I know about their statements that they’re not allowed to fish. I can at any time show you that those fish are being sold [by the villagers].”

The land on which Ayvazyan is conducting business is included in Georgia’s list of specially protected natural areas, while the project proposed by the company is not approved because of a few details. Asked by the reporter if he knew when purchasing the land that it was protected, the Armenian MP, without providing a concrete answer, said, “I can give it back tomorrow if I get a letter from the ministry,” reports the Armenian daily.

The full article can be read in today’s issue of Haykakan Zhamanak (in Armenian only).