Prime Minister on Education, Pensions, and Health Issues for Displaced Artsakh Residents

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan clarified today in a government meeting the significant discrepancy between the number of forcibly displaced Artsakh residents who have entered Armenia and those who have been provided with housing. By 10 AM, 66,500 individuals had arrived in Armenia from Artsakh, but only about 11,000 have been accommodated. Pashinyan noted that everyone is being offered accommodation, however, some claim to have addresses for housing.

"We cannot compel anyone to be in a particular place; we are simply conducting a certain policy and are trying to offer our brothers and sisters housing with a particular logic," said Pashinyan.

He added that at this moment, the focus is on short-term solutions, while there are numerous questions regarding long-term solutions that also need to be addressed. In addition to the accommodation provision program, the government is also considering the issuance of food cards.

"In the accommodations we provide, we will see what additional necessities and needs exist, and in the next phase, we will try to quickly include citizens who are beneficiaries of specific social services in the list of social services in Armenia," said the Prime Minister.

According to him, for instance, pensioners will be compensated according to the Armenian pension system. He happily noted that the job market is quite active at the moment, and the government should also assist specialists in finding work in their respective fields; those who are not connected to any specific sector can be provided with other dignified jobs.

The government will also focus on the education and health issues of the forcibly displaced individuals.