Prime Minister Considers Informal Settlements an Obstacle to Gyumri's Development

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, believes that informal settlements are obstructing the development of Gyumri and emphasizes the need for solving the issue through principled and targeted actions.

Pashinyan expressed this view during a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly with government officials, responding to a question related to the topic from the lawmaker from the "Enlightened Armenia" faction, Sarik Khachatryan.

"As far as I know, there is not a single family in Gyumri for which the state has a de jure obligation registered. However, there are citizens living in informal settlements. The state has decided to investigate the story of each dwelling, to understand why the person lives in such a condition. Currently, we do not have any documents showing that the government has obligations towards anyone; these obligations are considered erased. However, when this work is done and it becomes clear that the state does have obligations, which have not been recorded for technical or other reasons, a new list and new agenda will be formed," said the Prime Minister.

He noted that if it turns out that the state has provided a person with housing, and the person sold it and moved back to the informal settlement, that would be a completely different situation and they would need to implement a different policy. "I can clearly state that the informal settlements are undoubtedly obstructing the development of Gyumri, and we need to address this issue, and we must do so with very principled, precise, and specific targeted actions," added Pashinyan.

The Prime Minister recalled that in 2020, a record amount of 3 billion drams was allocated from the state budget to address the issues in the disaster zone. He pointed out that it is necessary to note there are about 436 families in Armenia for whom the state's obligations were registered in the context of the 1988 earthquake. Currently, the state is resolving the issues of half of these families with emergency housing, while the other half's issues are being addressed through construction and other means.