Social Affairs Ministry Decays Aid for Artsakh Residents in Basements

Three days ago, the recently dismissed Minister of Social Affairs, Mesrop Arakelyan, reportedly had serious disagreements with international organizations just days before his resignation. Sources from Yerevan.Today indicate the names of the Red Cross, UN, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNHCR among them.

The cause is the millions of dollars in aid rotting in the basements of the Social Affairs Ministry, funds that were collected by these organizations but have yet to reach those in need due to the negligence of Mesrop Arakelyan. This aid was urgently raised during the 44-day war, intended to be distributed to the displaced population from Artsakh and the injured soldiers.

Yerevan.Today has learned about the volume and list of the rotting aid, which amounts to over 32 million drams, including mattresses, blankets, beds, walk aids, wheelchairs, crutches, specially designed shower chairs for disabled individuals, hygiene products, and blankets, among others.

It is particularly significant that Mesrop Arakelyan turned a blind eye to the social burden of Artsakh residents and the issues facing disabled soldiers— a minister who has repeatedly claimed with bravado that he managed to pull post-war Artsakh out of a severe social crisis during his five-month tenure. Furthermore, the minister’s empty rhetoric has outraged international partners amid his evident inaction.

We have also learned the names of donors, including public agencies such as the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as other organizations and individuals that provided assistance. It is clear that the sole responsibility for this criminal negligence does not fall solely on Zaruhi Batoyan, nor her successor Mesrop Arakelyan. The government has ineffectively concentrated assistance in a few places without proper oversight.

As a result, some of the aid has surfaced for sale on List.am, some is decaying in the basement of Yerevan's Elderly Care Home No. 1, and some has mysteriously disappeared without a trace. There are reports of products accumulating in the Zvartnots customs warehouse, with Chief Customs Officer Shushan Stepanyan failing to release them due to primitive documentation errors, supposedly to adhere to the letter of the law.

This callousness is permitted by a government that, due to its incompetence or potential shadow deals with the enemy, has forced Artsakh residents to burn the homes they built or to donate their furniture to the enemy.