ArmInfo. On March 4, a ceremony was held in Yerevan to present housing certificates to 20 families deported from Azerbaijan. As the Minister of Territorial  Administration and Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia Suren  Papikyan noted, the beneficiaries of the first stage of the program  are 112 families, the Government allocated 1.5 billion drams to solve  housing problems.

According to Papikyan, the beneficiaries of the program will receive  their certificates in stages, over the course of the current year.  The certificate is valid for one year: during this time, their owners  will have to resolve issues with the selection of suitable housing.  The Minister noted that the budget for 2020 provides for the  allocation of 2.1 billion drams for the next stage of the program,  and the number of beneficiaries involved in it will be 185.

To recall, from 1988 to 1992, pogroms of the Armenian population took  place in Azerbaijan. Pogroms took place in Sumgait, Baku and other  large cities of Azerbaijan with the Armenian population. As a result  of this ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan, about 420,000 Armenian  families became refugees. From 2005 to 2008, a housing program for  refugees was organized in Armenia.

About 1000 certificates for the purchase of housing were issued,  however, only 700 certificates were implemented.

As Bagrat Badalyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and  Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia previously noted, 895  families are registered, of which 641 are in Yerevan and 254 are in  the regions. Given the rather large amount of necessary financial  resources, refugee housing problems are envisaged to be solved in  stages.

Particular attention will be paid to the guests of the hotels of  Sebastia, Nairi and Interrimini, who are constantly under threat of  eviction from the owners of these hotels. The remaining families  receive housing in the subsequent stages in accordance with the  programs provided for by the state budget.