The measures aimed at mitigating the economic and social consequences of the ongoing Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) were presented during the consultation held today under the chairmanship of Artsakh Minister of State Ruben Vardanyan.

"We try to assist as much as possible so that jobs [in Artsakh] are maintained. Unfortunately, many have lost their jobs in this situation. Through the developed programs, we will try as much as possible to assist both businesses and the people who are in a more difficult social situation," said the state minister.

Grigori Martirosyan, the head of the working group for the development of the aforesaid measures and advisor to the Minister of State, informed that it is planned to implement four respective programs, two of which are economic and two are social.

Economic programs apply to the sectors most affected by the blockade and envision providing assistance to businesses and individual entrepreneurs of Artsakh. The objective of these programs is primarily to preserve jobs, to assist businesses in ensuring the payment of salaries or unemployment benefits, and to provide monthly assistance to individual entrepreneurs.

The first of the social programs applies to persons laid off from work between December 12, 2022 and February 1, 2023. If due to the crisis, businesses had to make layoffs, those laid off employees will be given financial assistance in the amount of the minimum salary for the month of January, and if the salary was less than that amount, then that amount. The other program applies to unemployed persons who were registered during the same period. They will be provided with a certain amount of financial assistance for each child.

Details of these programs will be publicized soon.

Also, the Minister of State ordered to calculate the amount of total damage suffered by the Artsakh economy as a result of the current blockade.

Urgent matters related to education, health care, and social spheres were also discussed during the consultation.