Discussion on Compensation for Shurnukh Residents Underway in Prime Minister's Office

The Prime Minister's Office of Armenia is currently discussing the extension of financial support for residents of Shurnukh who lost their homes. Earlier in May, it was reported that residents of Shurnukh, whose homes have come under Azerbaijani control, have not yet received new houses, while the authorities have halted their monthly financial assistance, which was partially used to pay rent.

In response to an inquiry from Sputnik Armenia, the Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs stated that the 2024 state budget does not allocate financial resources for the monthly payments for Shurnukh residents who have not yet received their promised houses.

However, back in February 2021, Robert Ghukasyan, the current governor of Syunik, who was then the head of the inter-agency working group on Syunik issues and advisor to the Prime Minister, promised during a broadcast on Public Television that the construction of the new neighborhood would be completed within a year and that until then, the affected families would receive financial support until their new homes were ready.

As of 2023, the construction of the neighborhood has still not been completed, yet the monthly assistance of 68,000 drams was halted at the beginning of 2024. Considering Ghukasyan’s promise, we inquired about what steps the governor’s office plans to take in this situation. The Syunik governor's office informed us that the government decision made in 2021 set the deadline for providing social assistance until December 2023 inclusive.

“In light of the issue, on January 17, 2024, the Syunik governor's office submitted a written proposal to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia to extend the timeframe for providing cash assistance to citizens within the framework of the social security program,” the Syunik governor's office reported.

Furthermore, the governor's office indicated that the process of constructing and allocating residential houses is currently in its final stage. For other inquiries, they suggested contacting the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

In response to our inquiry, the ministry confirmed receiving a proposal from the Syunik governor's office regarding the extension of the project, which has been forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office. “If a corresponding directive is received from the Prime Minister's Office regarding the extension of the timeframe for providing social assistance, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs will develop and submit it for approval by the Armenian government in the established manner,” the ministry stated.

It is worth recalling that after the 44-day war, part of the village (13 houses) came under Azerbaijani control. Instead of those houses, the construction of 13 new houses in the neighborhood was supposed to be completed back in 2021. However, the deadline for completing the construction has been officially postponed six times. In response to a recent inquiry from Sputnik Armenia, the Construction Committee stated that the construction of the new neighborhood is expected to be completed by April 2024.