YEREVAN.  Many employers in Armenia have already expressed their willingness to join the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen initiative to double the payments to the families of fallen, missing or disabled servicemen. Varuzhan Avetikyan, executive director of the Foundation, informed about this at a press conference on Tuesday.

The initiative assumes that entities or entrepreneurs operating in Armenia must double the 1,000 drams paid by their employees by adding another 1,000 drams on their part. "There are employers who plan to triple or even quadruple [their respective payment]. At the same time, some employers have left the issue to the discretion of the employees," Avetikyan added.

According to him, there are close to 55,000 employers in Armenia, and every week 40 to 50 of them join this initiative. Avetikyan expressed hope that this process will be continuous. In addition, one can join this program for 1 to 2 years, or even indefinitely.

At the same time, Avetikyan noted that the aforesaid payments should be doubled, to an average of up to 3,000 drams per employee registered in Armenia. "Various models for increasing the payments are being discussed now. (…). But everyone should understand that our burden must increase, as we have a moral and financial duty to our army which has ensured our security," added the head of the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen.