Why is Berdzor Absent from the Social Assistance List? Residents Address Open Letter to the Government

Berdzor residents have addressed an open letter to the Government of Armenia and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The letter states, "Dear Government, Dear Ministry. In these difficult and hopeless days, understanding the situation in Armenia and Artsakh, we nonetheless could not contain our astonishment upon learning about the list of citizens registered in Artsakh eligible for social assistance established by the decisions No. 1820-L and No. 1891-L of the Government of Armenia dated 21.11.2020 and 27.11.2020, respectively.

Thus, Berdzor is missing from the specified list. This raises at least some astonishment, as there is no logic in excluding Berdzor from this list. Do the displaced residents of Berdzor not have needs for housing, healthcare, or communal services? Should Berdzor residents not pay their rent, or has the coronavirus received a special mandate to bypass us? In other words, if there is a government decision aimed at: 1. Providing social assistance to citizens of Artsakh displaced as a result of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020, basic logic suggests that the exclusion of Berdzor from the government's decision can have only one of the following reasons: a) you do not consider Berdzor residents as citizens of Artsakh, b) Berdzor residents have not been displaced, c) Berdzor residents were displaced but not because of the war.

Since none of the above reasons are true, it remains to assume, dear distinguished ladies and gentlemen, that you have merely decided to save costs at the expense of Berdzor residents for the benefit of certain (not unknown to the public) funds. It is painful, very painful, that you have not even considered the fact that the broken, burned, and then again broken Berdzor has not lagged behind all of Armenia in its participation in the war. Moreover, from the very first day of the war, the sons of Berdzor have been on the front lines. So now, what is the reason that you are creating such a situation of public discontent against hundreds of Berdzor residents who have been law-abiding citizens of our state for years and have fulfilled their duties to the state? Dear gentlemen, please respect our status, do not isolate people who have lost their homes and are facing serious difficulties, and do not deprive them of assistance. Please reconsider your decision." The text is by H. Arzanyan.