Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on October 27 that the government will allocate 55 billion drams ($144 million) next year in the 2026 state budget to support forcibly displaced persons from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
“55 billion drams will be allocated to address the housing and other needs of our brothers and sisters from Karabakh,” Pashinyan said during a joint parliamentary committee hearing on the 2026 budget bill.
Nearly 120,000 ethnic Armenians were displaced from Artsakh during Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive. The Armenian government granted them the status of forcibly displaced persons and has been implementing various relief programs, including housing and social assistance, to aid their resettlement and integration.
On April 8, 2025, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan stated that since October 2023, more than 115 billion drams ($300 million) had been allocated under different support programs for displaced persons from Artsakh.
“85 to 90% of these funds were provided from the government’s budget, with additional support from international organizations,” Khachatryan said in an interview with Public Television of Armenia.
When asked about the possibility of organizing an international donor forum to raise funds for the needs of the people of Artsakh, Khachatryan said that such an event is not currently under consideration.
He also addressed the government’s decision to phase out the 40,000 + 10,000 drams ($104 + $26) monthly rent and utilities program, which had sparked discontent among displaced families.
“This program has become a factor hindering the implementation of long-term assistance,” he explained. “Starting from April 2025, the amount of support will gradually decrease and will be provided only to vulnerable groups—children, pensioners, persons with disabilities, and families that have lost a breadwinner.”
The payments were reduced to 40,000 drams ($104) for three months, and then to 30,000 drams ($78) from July through the end of the year. The government aims to encourage displaced families to apply for the housing certificate program, designed to help them purchase or build permanent homes.
According to the data published in April, under this initiative, 900 families from Artsakh have already received housing certificates worth 4 million drams ($10,440) per person, benefiting a total of 3,800 individuals. However, only around 100 families have so far utilized their certificates, while the remainder are still seeking suitable housing. Additionally, as of April, about 22,000 Artsakh residents are employed in Armenia, with another 4,000–4,500 working as self-employed, helping them cover their basic needs.
