The newspaper “Zhoghovurd” reported that Armen Ghularyan was appointed as the president of the Committee on Urban Planning of the Republic of Armenia on January 27, 2021. Ghularyan has had a successful career and held various positions of authority. His journey began in 1976 as a regional specialist in Ijevan and later evolved into becoming the head architect of Ijevan, the mayor of the same city, and eventually the governor of Tavush.

Since 2014, Ghularyan has been actively involved in urban planning in Armenia. In 2018, he was appointed as the deputy chairman of the committee and eventually went on to become the president.

In 2022, Ghularyan declared his assets, which include real estate properties, assets, wealth, and expenses, amounting to an undisclosed sum. Among his properties is a private residence in the Arabkir district, which he acquired in 2013.

Additionally, he claims ownership of a large house with multiple apartments in the Arabkir administrative district. However, he has declared it as someone else’s private property, but it is actually managed by him.

Ghularyan’s bank account balances amount to 4,492,000 drams and 19,930 drams, while his cash funds total 4,500,000 drams and 21,000 US dollars. It is important to note that his income solely comes from his salary, which amounts to 13,229,000 drams and 32,000 US dollars.

Interestingly, more than half of his income, over 8 million drams, is paid in cash. This raises concerns about potential corruption risks, as there is no clear source of income for the receipt of these cash funds, with the income being solely derived from his salary.

Despite being the Deputy Chief of the Republic of Armenia’s Armed Forces, Ghularyan is not actively serving, and this fact is not mentioned in his biography.

Ghularyan holds the title of the most experienced and longest-serving mayor in the Republic of Armenia. He led the Tavush region for 15 years, from 1999 to 2014. However, during his tenure, residents of Tavush expressed dissatisfaction with his work, particularly regarding the lack of development, especially in villages near the border that suffer from limited infrastructure and job opportunities.

Experts have confirmed a significant increase in housing construction in Armenia over the past five years. However, this surge has not translated into improvements in the field of urban planning in the country, according to their analysis.

Currently, Ghularyan serves as the head of the committee responsible for urban planning in Armenia and oversees the sector. He has publicly expressed his concerns about the decline and lack of innovation in urban planning.