VIDEO: Dear Grandma, You Are Free from Work - Pashinyan on New Project

The Government of Armenia has regulated the care of newborn children of parents of fallen servicemen. The decision was made during today’s meeting of the Armenian government.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan announced that in January 2022, a project was established allowing parents of servicemen who lost their lives for their country during military actions to have children through reproductive medical assistance and surrogate motherhood services. Already, children have been born in dozens of families.

Deputy Minister of Health Lena Nanushyan further informed that since 2021, 54 children have been born into the families of fallen servicemen, of which 32 were born within the framework of the program.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made remarks regarding the project, questioning that it was unclear why a caregiver should not be registered at the same address as the beneficiary of the program. He stated that at least in this case, that exception should be made, as the beneficiary the government intends to support is the child.

According to the Prime Minister, the better the child is taken care of, the better it is for everyone involved.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan suggested changing the regulation to specify that if both parents are identified as working by the tax authority, no filter should be applied and the child's caregiver should be a relative.

The explanation did not satisfy Pashinyan, who stated that the decisions of the Armenian government should not just be written in reports but should allow people to benefit from them and improve their lives. “With such regulations, we are deviating from our objectives. Sometimes we do not delve deeply enough into the projects, claiming, 'Look, we are a good government, we have made such decisions,' and then we go to regional meetings and ask people if they are benefiting from this program; they say 'no.' We ask why, and they respond that you impose countless restrictions; our neighbor or relative cannot be a caregiver, we do not have the strength to pursue the solutions to all these issues. We should not lose our beneficiaries, and that perception that a caregiver is the child's grandmother means, 'Why are we giving her money? It is her duty to take care of her grandchild.' We will give mothers additional leverage: if the grandmother does not perform her duty well, she can say, 'Dear Grandma, you are free from work,'” the Prime Minister joked.

This decision will come into effect on January 1, 2024. For more details, watch the video.