Aid Sent to Artsakh Arrives Late: Armenian Community Representative Expresses Discontent to Pashinyan

During a meeting with Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Germany, Armenian community representative Mikayel Minaysyan expressed dissatisfaction. According to him, the material donations imported from Germany during and after the 44-day war took 6 to 8 months to clear upon arrival in Armenia, while he stated that there was an urgent need for these supplies in Artsakh.

“Why did it take so long? What is the function of the state if the inventory is done, the items are handed over to us, and we distribute them in Armenia with the funds of Armenians from Germany? This is a systemic issue, and this matter has not been resolved until now,” he said.

The Prime Minister explained that the problem was related to legislation. “As a result of many programs labeled as charitable, tax obligations arise. For a program to be considered charitable, there are procedures in place to ensure that other activities are not carried out under the guise of charity. What you mentioned is very simple; you are an honest philanthropist, but behind you, 60 others might pass under the name of charity, with no connection to altruism, which could harm our state. This is the reason. By the way, this is not the only case, but it takes time,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister noted that there are problematic laws in Armenia, but changing them requires time and an understanding of what they will be replaced with. “This requires prolonged effort, which must be done. If you ask me what the biggest problem in Armenia is, I will say it is a staffing issue, because we have serious and deep problems in our educational system; it does not provide many professionals who will work effectively,” he added.