Armenia earmarks record 156 billion drams to support Nagoerno-Karabakh refugees in 2024

YEREVAN, December 6. /ARKA/. An unprecedented amount of 156 billion drams are earmarked by Armenia's Reserve Fund for 2024 to support Nagorno-Karabakh refugees, Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan said today.

"We are confident that these funds are enough to insure fiscal risks and cover the additional needs of the forcibly displaced residents of Nagorno-Karabakh," he said at a parliamentary session.

Hovhannisyan said also that active work is underway to obtain funding from international partners to support the refugees.

"So far, the EU, France, China have promised budgetary support. Negotiations are underway with a number of other international partners," he noted.

The minister informed that support programs worth 47.3 billion drams are envisaged for the refugees in 2023.

According to him, out of this amount 1.2 billion drams were provided to the education sphere, 22.5 billion drams for the payment of pensions, 2.6 billion for the improvement of demographic situation, 1.6 billion drams for supporting the unemployed, 1.5 billion as assistance to disadvantaged social groups and 15 billion drams as rent for temporary housing and utility expenses.

On September 19, Azerbaijan launched what it called an "anti-terrorist" operation against ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. 

The assault lasted 24 hours and ended with Azerbaijani forces gaining full control of the region for the first time since the 1990s war.This led to a vast refugee crisis, with entire ethnic Armenians fleeing along the narrow mountain road connecting the region to the Republic of Armenia. -0--