Armenia, Kazakhstan agree land swap for new embassy buildings

Armenia's parliament has ratified an agreement with Kazakhstan providing for the reciprocal allocation of land plots for the construction of new embassy buildings in Yerevan and Astana.

The agreement provides for the exchange of 0.33-hectare plots in each capital. Kazakhstan's new embassy in Yerevan will be built on Isakov Avenue, while Armenia will receive a similarly sized site in Astana for the construction of its new diplomatic mission, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two countries will lease the land to one another for a symbolic annual fee of one dram ($0.0025) in Yerevan and one tenge ($0.0020) in Astana, reflecting the reciprocal nature of the arrangement.

Kazakhstan's current embassy in Armenia is located near the Armenian parliament. Its future diplomatic mission will occupy a site on Admiral Isakov Avenue, one of the capital's main arteries leading to the city centre and home to the embassies of the United States and China.

Armenia's new embassy in Astana will be situated in one of the Kazakh capital's prestigious diplomatic districts, near Independence Avenue. The location is close to the embassies of the United States, China, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, widely known as the Pyramid of Astana.

By Vafa Guliyeva