Georgian government rejects lawsuit of Armenian citizens

Tbilisi. 7 December. REPORT.AZ/ Armenian citizens residing in Georgia filed a lawsuit against the government with the demand to grant them with the same benefits as those given to permanent residents of highland regions.

Georgian Bureau of Report News Agency informs that the Constitutional Court of Georgia viewed the claim of the citizens of Armenia against the local government and the parliament and rejected it.

Armenian citizens Garnik Vanderesyan, Artavazd Khachatryan and Ani Minasyan called this discrimination and demanded to recognize the rule of the law on "Development of highland regions" as contrary to the constitution.

The plaintiffs believe that the incentives to permanent residents of high-mountainous regions should also be applied to foreign citizens living in these regions.

The Constitutional Court rejected the arguments of the citizens of Armenia and ruled that the law fully complies with the country's Constitution.

Notably, according to Georgia's law on the "Development of highland regions", more than 1600 villages received the status of a highland. Permanent residents of these villages are provided with a number of benefits. These benefits include wage allowance to teachers and doctors, an increase in pensions and social assistance. Along with this, individuals and entrepreneurs are exempt from taxes on profits and property. From January 1, 2019, the amount of pension payments in highland villages will increase by more than 11%.