The government has decided to include 39 villages of the Gegharkunik and Syunik Provinces in the list of villages that receive social support. This is what Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Mesrop Arakelyan told reporters after today’s government session.

According to him, this particularly concerns utility reimbursement and reimbursement for the real estate tax.

Reporters asked why the borderline Khndzoresk and Carahunge villages aren’t in the list and expressed concern that the Armenian authorities have decided not to make investments in those villages since they are preparing to transfer those villages to the Azerbaijanis as well. In response, the minister said the following: “There are no such plans. There are certain criteria for social support to villages. For instance, according to the methodology, the status of a borderline village is determined when the distance between homes on the border is established, and in the case of Khndzoresk and Carahunge, the lands have been considered.”

The minister also clarified that there are already a total of 77 borderline villages in Armenia and it is envisaged to add another five or six to the list.