Video: Question Arises Why Pensions are Increased by 3,000 Drams, Says Pashinyan

The government has extended the deadline for providing refunds from cashless payments to pensioners until December 31, 2023. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that this program will not just continue until the end of the year, but will be implemented permanently. He stated, 'It's a different matter how we will implement the funding mechanisms and the formulas, but we must continuously carry out this mechanism, possibly leading to complex decisions. For example, we might increase pensions using certain formulas in a cashless manner.'

The Prime Minister mentioned that pensions were increased twice last year, but he considers it as three times when taking into account the effect of cashless payments. 'I hope we haven’t forgotten that we need to raise pensions once more from July 1,' Pashinyan noted.

'Sometimes we increase pensions by 3,000 drams. We simply ask our grandchildren to change a little in their daily lifestyle logic to support the government on this issue. I also want to say that our budgetary matters are good, our economic affairs are good, and here a logical question arises: why are pensions increased by 3,000 drams? The reason is very simple: it is one thing to raise the anticipated amount for 595,000 people, and another thing to raise an amount meant for 1,000 people. Moreover, when increasing pensions, the government must calculate in such a way that it can provide that pension, at least indefinitely,' Pashinyan stated.

For more details, see the video.