Food Cards to Be Provided for Displaced Persons from Artsakh, Narék Mkrtchyan

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is currently providing services in conjunction with remaining agencies at our registration stations operating in Kornidzor and Goris. This was announced today, on September 27, at a press conference by Minister Narék Mkrtchyan.

“After registration, we understand who needs immediate accommodation. Our priority is to solve housing issues. Citizens who wish to go to their preferred location are free to decide where they should be placed. However, this does not mean that we are not maintaining contact with them and responding to their issues. In recent days, we have launched a primary needs platform where our compatriots from Artsakh can register their needs. Currently, we have about 3,000 cases, and evaluations will be conducted regarding these, and we will provide support. These could vary, including needs for food, clothing, and certain social assistance,” the minister noted.

Mr. Mkrtchyan also added that they have launched a new platform for mapping social support: “We know that various NGOs and individuals have expressed a desire to support forcibly displaced people from Artsakh, and in order for us to give them the opportunity to assist in the process and properly allocate resources, we have already received 170 proposals on this platform. We will again assess the needs and appropriately direct them.”

He mentioned that the ministry plans the works for short, medium, and long-term periods. “At this time, our task is to provide the Artsakh Armenians with the opportunity to settle. We have also launched a hotline—114—and during this time we have received more than 6,000 calls regarding various issues. In both Goris and Kornidzor, there are many volunteers, and we have established a platform for volunteer registration. At this moment, 650 volunteers are registered there. This recruitment is ongoing, and we are confident that these numbers will grow,” he added.

He also stated, “We will provide our compatriots with food cards, funded according to the cost of a food basket, so they can address their food issues.” The minister did not rule out the possibility of compensating for their utility expenses: “Considering that winter is ahead, we do not exclude the possibility of providing compensation for utility expenses in the future.”