YEREVAN. – The citizens have the right to express their concerns, stated Artem Asatryan, Labor and Social Affairs Minister of Armenia, at a press conference on Tuesday.

Asatryan commented on the recent rally that was staged against the new pension reform in the country.  

The minister added that the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry is always ready for a rational discourse on, and to inform the public of, the details on the pension reform and other social programs.

“You will not find any other reform which was so widely discussed. So, I cannot agree that the reform was passed behind the public’s back. Such talks are completely unfounded,” Artem Asatryan added.       

A mass rally was held, on January 18 at Liberty Square in capital city Yerevan, to protest the new cumulative pension plan.

The new cumulative pension plan, which formally came into force in Armenia on January 1, 2014, is mandatory for those born in and after 1974 and voluntary for those born before 1974. In line with this plan, 5 to 10 percent of the monthly salaries in Armenia will be deducted and mandatorily be allocated to cumulative pension funds; the latter will be reimbursed as pensions once a person turns 63 years old.