Pashinyan announces pension rise from April 1

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that pensions will rise from 1 April, reversing earlier refusals to increase payments.

“Pensions will increase starting April 1. Relatively low pensions will rise by 10,000 drams, while higher pensions will see a smaller adjustment,” Pashinyan said on Wednesday, just three months before parliamentary elections.

Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Arsen Torosyan confirmed that pensions and social benefits will increase by 10,000 drams from April, excluding refunds from non-cash pension transactions. He added that beneficiaries could see an additional rise of 10,000 drams through retroactive adjustments.