The Government Should Rethink Several Programs, Says Tigran Abrahamyan

The president of the analytical NGO 'Henaket', Tigran Abrahamyan, made the following statement on his Facebook page: "For any government, the primary issue should be providing housing for officers and ensuring they have the necessary conditions, because those who have served the country in such a capacity remain essential even after transitioning to military retirement—both as a type and not to mention the reserve officers who can again join the armed forces when needed.

Secondly, another major problem with this program is that the government does not offer solutions for officers who have served in the Armed Forces for, say, 10-15 years, but find it difficult to take out a 20-year loan because after 5-10 years, they will transition to military retirement. This poses issues regarding securing guaranteed civilian employment afterward. Naturally, officers in this category who have housing issues will avoid participating in the program.

The other issue relates to reserve officers, who were given certificates for serving 20 years or more, valued at 4.5 to 5 million drams, which neither solves their housing problems nor allows them to benefit from mortgage programs while being military pensioners. Matters pertaining to officers and their families should be central to the government's concern, and from this perspective, in this and several other programs, the government must carry out radical re-evaluations."