Mass media discover premier-signed ` top secret` document

ArmInfo.The Ishkhanutyun news outlet has discovered a "top- secret" document signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, according to which approximately 3 billion drams, not including the so-called 13th salary, were distributed from the state budget bonus fund to pro- government officials during the  pre-New Year period. Journalist Lia Sargsyan reported this on her Facebook page.

She noted that the document, which had nothing to do with state  security matters, contained an 8th clause marked "top secret." The  journalist reported that, according to a document obtained by the  publication, hundreds of millions of drams were received by nearly  all key government agencies: the Ministries of Finance, Defense,  Health, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, Education,  Science, Culture and Sports, Economy, High-Tech Industry, the State  Revenue Committee, the State Cadastre, and others.

"Not only ministers and deputy ministers were awarded, but also heads  of departments and divisions, and in some cases, even ministerial  spokespersons and their drivers. Thus, department heads received  approximately 1.5-2 million drams, department heads 2.5-3 million  drams, deputy ministers 3.5-4.5 million drams, and ministers up to  6-7 million drams. "This means that in one day, the ministers  received an amount equivalent to 14 years of pension, or  approximately eight years' earnings for a citizen earning the average  salary in the country," Sargsyan noted.

The journalist noted that this decision was essentially made in the  context of widespread price increases, a survival regime for citizens  with salaries of 80,000 drams and pensions of 36,000 drams, and  deepening social poverty. "This process, supported by legislation, is  morally unacceptable and was carried out at the expense of the  citizens themselves," she said.

Sargsyan expressed her conviction that the document's secrecy was  necessary to conceal this information from the public, and to prevent  citizens from subsequently comparing their salaries and pensions with  the millions reaped by the ruling elite. "When in 2026 the  authorities again try to convince people that poverty is 'in the  minds of the citizens,' it's worth remembering these figures: 3  billion drams for government officials, and zero for ordinary  employees, pensioners, the families of fallen servicemen, and  soldiers disabled in the war. This isn't an opinion, it's a document,  and it was funded by citizens' taxes," the journalist concluded.

According to the Statistical Committee of Armenia, inflation in the  Armenian consumer market accelerated to 3.3% in January-December 2025  (from 1.5% in 2024). This was driven by a 4.6% increase in food  prices and a 3.1% increase in service tariffs, with a slight increase  in non-food prices of 0.9%. Meanwhile, according to a study conducted  by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in collaboration with the  Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia (late 2025 - ed.) on  "Minimum Wage and Socioeconomic Reality in the Republic of Armenia,"  65.1% of the Armenian population cannot afford a healthy diet. As  public and social policy expert Ruben Markosyan noted, according to  these data, productivity and the economy in the country are not at a  level that would make the average wage acceptable. Recalling that the  minimum wage is indexed based on the average, he noted that the gap  between them is colossal. Specifically, citing data from the  Statistical Committee, the expert noted that in July-August, the  average salary in Armenia was 295,000 drams, while the minimum wage  is only 75,000 drams.

On December 3, Pashinyan expressed doubt from the parliamentary  rostrum that pensioners are capable of wisely managing their finances  and spending their money. "So, we're thinking, let's increase  pensions by 10-11 thousand drams. What will pensioners do with it?  What will they spend it on? Our research shows that citizens' top  expenditure is healthcare. So, why give people this money? So they  won't know how to effectively use this money for their health? So  they'll go to the pharmacy and buy the wrong thing.

They'll receive the wrong medical care. But we're investing these 10  thousand drams in health insurance, creating a system where they'll  likely receive services worth not 10, but 20, 30, 40, 50, or even  perhaps 100 thousand drams," he said. At the beginning of 2026, the  minimum pension was approximately 36,000 drams, and the average was  approximately 49,000 drams. Meanwhile, by the third quarter of 2025,  the cost of the minimum (estimated) consumer basket per person was  81,681 drams, and the food (estimated) basket was 44,152 drams.