Opposition figure criticizes bonus payments to Armenian MPs amid Artsakh crisis

Narek Karapetyan, a board member of the opposition Strong Armenia party, has accused the speaker of Armenia’s National Assembly of awarding bonuses to lawmakers and parliament staff in the aftermath of the mass displacement of ethnic Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in 2023.

Speaking to Kentron TV on Wednesday, Karapetyan described the immense humanitarian pressure his team faced during the influx of refugees, highlighting both the urgency of the situation and its emotional toll.

“After the depopulation of Artsakh, our entire team was focused on finding accommodation for displaced Armenians,” he said. “We worked around the clock under extreme stress, often without sleep.”

He added that what affected him most deeply was the condition of the families arriving.

“In every third or fourth car arriving in Tashir, the father was missing – only his photograph had been brought along,” Karapetyan said. “Mothers, children and grandmothers were arriving without husbands or fathers. Those were the most harrowing days of my life. I cannot forget them.”

Karapetyan contrasted these experiences with the actions of the ruling Civil Contract party members. During the interview, he presented a decree signed by National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan authorizing bonus payments to MPs and parliament staff.

“I want people to judge others not by their words, but by their actions,” he said. “While we were working under immense pressure to support displaced families, the parliament speaker was issuing bonuses.”

According to Karapetyan, the decree was signed roughly two months after Azerbaijan’s military takeover of Artsakh, at a time when more than 100,000 displaced Armenians were without housing.