Financial Assistance for Displaced Armenians to be Reduced

The six-month program of financial assistance for people forcibly displaced from Artsakh is set to expire soon. This was reported by the newspaper "Hraparak."

"The government decided at the beginning of October 2023 to provide 50,000 drams each month for every person, and this assistance will end in early April 2024, leaving displaced Artsakh residents in a difficult situation," the article notes.

Armenia's Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan, who is officially coordinating issues related to the displaced, stated in an interview with Public Television on February 27 that a housing support program is under discussion. However, the focus is not so much on providing housing but rather on providing loans to Artsakh residents, as the proposed financial support of 3 million drams per adult citizen will have to be repaid to the state after 10 years. Otherwise, the properties purchased with these funds will not be privatized.

There are also reports among Artsakh residents that the government will continue social support starting in April, but with significantly reduced amounts: pensions for elderly Artsakh residents will be provided at 20,000 drams each, and for underage children, it will be 50,000 drams each.

Recently, the National Assembly of Artsakh responded to the Deputy Prime Minister's announcement about the housing support program, expressing disagreement. Artsakh lawmakers are proposing to allocate 5 million drams per person without any conditions. Otherwise, it will appear that Armenia is indicating a path for Artsakh residents to emigrate.

According to certain reports, the displaced residents of Artsakh are also planning to organize protests against these measures," the newspaper states.