Thursday, 17 December 2020
Tigran Avinyan: “Work is underway to verify data on captives and carry on the process of exchanging POWs”
A Cabinet meeting was held today, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan.
Before discussing the agenda, the Deputy Prime Minister touched on issues related to the prisoner exchange process. “As you may know, the first phase of POWs exchange took place this week. Work is underway to verify data on captives and carry on the process of exchanging POWs. In this regard, negotiations are underway with the Azerbaijani side, involving the ICRC and the Russian side.”
Referring to the incident in Khtsaberd, Tigran Avinyan noted. “The second issue concerns the incident in Khtsaberd, I mean the people who most likely found themselves in captivity. Data is being verified at the moment. Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan is in Artsakh to discuss and understand the situation on the ground. Talks are being held with the Azerbaijani side on this issue, and we expect to find a solution in the near future.”
Concerning the issue of Hin Shen, the Deputy Prime Minister said there had been some tensions there. “At the moment, there is communication between the sides. The issue is not completely resolved, but the Russian peacekeepers are stationed in that area. We expect that we will have a final solution to the issues related to Hin Shen in the near future. The Minister of Defense is in Syunik Marz. Border troops are being deployed along our borders in Syunik. I am confident that the Ministry of Defense will give updates on the work being done during the day.”
Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan said he keeps in close touch with Syunik region administration. “At this stage, the Governor is working with the Border Guard Service and our partners from the Ministry of Defense. The border troops are being deployed along the borders of the Republic of Armenia. To avoid any misinterpretation or misinformation, I must state that the borders of the Republic of Armenia are controlled by our armed forces,” the Minister said.
The Government approved four measures to support civilians affected by the war. In particular, the Cabinet approved a program of assistance to the unemployed citizens of the Republic of Artsakh, who were displaced as a result of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020. In particular, to ensure that the unemployed gain some work experience, they will be paid a monthly salary of 100 thousand drams, while the employer will be refunded the income tax as calculated on the basis of the unemployed person’s salary, the stamp duty and the amount of social contribution in cases envisaged by law. In addition, 34 thousand drams per month shall be paid to the specialist responsible for the re-training process.
The meeting approved the Government’s legislative initiative on the draft law “On Amending the RA Civil Code.” The Bill will facilitate the process of providing social guarantees to the families of servicemen or other citizens reported missing during or due to hostilities.
The Government relieved Andrey Ghukasyan of the office of Lori Marz Governor. By another decision, Aram Khachatryan was appointed Governor of Lori Marz of Armenia.
