10,000 AMD Increase for Pensioners: Aiming for Health Rather Than Cigarettes, Says Pashinyan

During a discussion regarding the increase in pensions with Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Arsen Torosyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the significant spending on cigarettes among pensioners, expressing his concern over the issue.

"With all due respect, I used to smoke, my father smoked until the end of his life, which contributed to the development of his illness. I couldn't do anything to prevent him from smoking. I said that we should increase the average consumer basket by 10,000 AMD. Let’s give 10,000 AMD to our beloved pensioners so they can buy cigarettes and, due to the usage of cigarettes, face health issues. Therefore, we thought and decided to direct that 10,000 AMD towards health instead at this stage. We have acted correctly. Later, we recorded that the economic growth for 2025 was 7.2 percent. The next day, I asked the Minister of Finance and the Deputy Prime Ministers to provide a monetary evaluation of that growth; they said it equated to 100 billion AMD. I then suggested that we raise pensions by 10,000 AMD now. This is a case where our pensioners need to feel the economic growth," Pashinyan stated.