YEREVAN. – The living standards of Armenian citizens will improve in  2017.

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia, Artem Asatryan, told the aforementioned to reporters, along the lines of Wednesday’s National Assembly hearings on the draft state budget for next year.

“I believe that all those events and directions, which are presented within the framework of next year’s [government] program, shall also bring about the easing of the social burden,” said Asatryan.

The minister added that social protection will always be a priority of the Armenian government.

As for the pensions not being increased in 2017—and which the minister of finance had informed about earlier, Artem Asatryan said: “If 30 billion [drams (about US$63,110,100)] additional means were not found in the 2017 budget draft to raise the amount of pensions, this is the answer to your question. (…) Thus, this was reflected also on the expenditure policy.”