Pashinyan’s government has approved a 50% reduction in monthly financial assistance for vulnerable Armenians forcibly displaced from Artsakh, cutting payments from 30,000 drams (approximately $83) to 15,000 drams (approximately $42) beginning in April 2027.
The decision, adopted during the October 29 Cabinet meeting, comes more than three years after Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military offensive and the forced displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians from their ancestral homeland.
Although the government has extended the assistance program through June 2027, the reduction will affect some of the most vulnerable members of the displaced population, including children, elderly individuals, people with disabilities, and families who have lost a primary breadwinner.
According to Armenia’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, approximately 46,000 displaced Armenians from Artsakh currently receive assistance under the program.
Under the newly approved schedule, beneficiaries will continue receiving 30,000 drams per month from January through March 2027. Beginning in April, payments will be reduced to 15,000 drams per month through June 2027.
The decision represents another stage in the government’s gradual reduction of financial assistance introduced following the mass displacement of Artsakh’s Armenian population.
When the original emergency support program was established in October 2023, displaced residents were eligible for monthly payments of 50,000 drams per person, including 40,000 drams for housing expenses and an additional 10,000 drams for utilities.
The government subsequently began reducing payments in 2025, lowering assistance to 40,000 drams between April and June before further reducing the amount to 30,000 drams beginning in July. Eligibility was also narrowed to designated vulnerable groups.
Under the latest decision, monthly assistance for eligible beneficiaries will fall to less than one-third of its original amount by April 2027.
The reduction raises concerns about the ability of displaced families to maintain stable housing and meet basic living expenses, particularly those who continue to depend on government assistance after losing their homes, property, and livelihoods in Artsakh.
In documents accompanying the proposal, the government argued that gradually reducing assistance would encourage greater social and economic independence among displaced residents.
Nikol Pashinyan has also defended the transition away from emergency assistance programs, arguing that displaced Armenians from Artsakh should eventually become eligible for the same social support mechanisms available to other residents of Armenia.
However, the approach raises questions about whether vulnerable families have achieved sufficient economic stability to withstand further reductions in financial assistance.
The government simultaneously extended a separate emergency assistance program for low-income displaced families through December 2027.
Under that program, eligible families can continue receiving assistance under the 40,000-dram-plus-10,000-dram support measure, subject to income and other eligibility requirements.
The program is restricted to households whose average monthly income per family member is below 55,000 drams. According to government figures, approximately 8,600 families received assistance under the measure in October 2026.
Armenian authorities have also introduced housing assistance initiatives intended to help displaced families purchase homes or obtain longer-term housing solutions. However, access to those programs remains subject to eligibility requirements, and they do not automatically replace the monthly assistance being reduced.
Since the forced displacement of Artsakh’s Armenian population in September 2023, families have faced the challenges of rebuilding their lives in Armenia while confronting uncertainty over housing, employment, financial security, and their long-term future.
The latest reduction highlights broader concerns about the Armenian government’s approach to displaced Armenians from Artsakh, particularly whether the transition from emergency assistance to longer-term integration is taking place before the most vulnerable families have achieved meaningful financial stability.
