Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's press conference took place at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex, which was attended by more than three dozen media representatives.

Before answering the questions of the media representatives, the Prime Minister made an opening speech.

"Dear representatives of the mass media,
Dear people,

One of the key provisions of the "Real Armenia" ideology adopted by the Government of the Republic of Armenia is that the state is a tool for building well-being for citizens. According to this ideology, well-being can be built only through work and education, that is, through work that becomes more effective and productive through education, as well as through individual effort. And our policies are aimed at implementing this ideological thesis.

Further clarifying this thesis, I would like to emphasize the following: well-being is possible if several factors meet and coincide. One of them is work, another is education, the next is individual effort, and the third is state policies. In other words, our theory is that when these four factors coincide and interact, then it will be possible to establish well-being. This is the theory. Let's see what is being implemented in practice.

As of December 2024, 778,094 jobs were registered in Armenia. This figure is 189,000 more than in December 2018, and 36,368 more than in December 2023, or 4.9 percent. We are talking about jobs in which there is a person working and who is provided with a salary.

In 2024, the average salary was 306,754 AMD, compared to December 2018, the average salary increased by 127,000 AMD or 71 percent, and compared to 2023, by 18,699 AMD or 6.5 percent. These are the average annual salary indicators. Salaries are growing both as a result of stable economic growth and as a result of government decisions.

A voluntary certification system for teachers and military personnel has been introduced in Armenia, which allows for up to a doubling of salaries depending on the results of the certification. In the case of teachers, there is also a system of additional payments for teachers teaching subjects in scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical fields, as well as for teachers in schools with up to 100 students in rural areas, which allows for an additional 50 percent increase in salaries, in addition to voluntary certification. That is, teachers who have passed voluntary certification can also increase their salaries due to these factors.

Teachers of extracurricular education, coaches of 12 sports, and in particular, teachers of 8 directions in the field of culture have also received an opportunity to increase their salaries through voluntary certefication. Of course, we started this from the minimum and over time we will add other sports and cultural education sectors. Kindergarten teachers have also received an opportunity to increase their salaries through the classification. Under the certefication system, the salaries of scientific workers in Armenia as of January 2025 have increased by 100-300 percent compared to 2021, the details of which I presented at the last Cabinet meeting. The voluntary certefication program has also been launched for lecturers-masters in the field of vocational education and training. I am talking about colleges.

A monthly scholarship of 50-70 thousand AMD has been established for students of vocational education and training, as well as of a number of priority specializations of higher education institutions. To rule out misunderstanding, these scholarships are valid for first-year students in certain fields. Already from the second year, the scholarship system changes, depending on progress. In case of excellence, an additional 10 percent is added to these scholarships.

In parallel with the “300 Schools, 500 Kindergartens” program, a universal declaration system is being launched for more than 800 thousand citizens who are hired and contract workers, which is also an indirect system for increasing the income of citizens who declare. As a result of the universal declaration, citizens can receive up to 100 thousand AMD back from the income tax they paid for health insurance, dental care, tuition fees at universities, colleges and fee-paying schools, textbook rental in private schools, in general education schools, kindergarten fees, other extracurricular educational services, as well as training qualifications, requalification, educational services, that is, for their own and their children's healthcare and education.

This is about universal declaration. Here, I also note that we have certain difficulties in explaining this message to the public in an understandable way, and I hope that today we will use the opportunity. The universal declaration system will provide an opportunity for annual, and I am talking about declarations for 2024 and 2025, of which declaration for 2024 will be filled in 2025, and the declaration for 2025 in 2026. Here, as a result of filling these declarations, about 70 billion AMD of expenses made by citizens in the above-mentioned directions will be returned to citizens or, in parallel, several tens of billion AMD will be directed to the indicated directions. In other words, we are returning to citizens in those sectors, but the related effect of this will also be that those sectors I listed will receive additional funding of several tens of billion AMD.

The economic activation measure for people with bad loans has started from February 1, 2025. Accordingly, citizens with bad loans of up to 1 million AMD for at least three years are recommended to switch to hired or contract work. Why is it recommended? Because citizens in such a situation usually do not work in a transparent field, for fear that their entire income or at least an unacceptable amount for them will be confiscated. Here, we offer these people to switch to work in a transparent field, and in this case, the income tax calculated for their salary will be completely directed to repaying the bad loan. The amount subject to confiscation from the salary will be reduced from the previous 50 percent to 20 percent, and banks will forgive 80 percent of the calculated fines. In other words, banks will forgive 80 percent of the fines calculated for these overdue loans.

This circumstance is also clarified. Why 80 percent? If you followed the Cabinet meeting, because in case of forgiving fines and penalties, a 20 percent tax liability arises for banks, and they forgive their share in full, but also keep 20 percent in order to fulfill their tax obligations, the tax obligations arising from this debt relief.

The above-mentioned reforms will provide an opportunity not only in the long and medium term, but also in the short term for the effective implementation of the strategy of building the well-being of citizens through work and education, that is, through work that becomes more effective and productive through education.

Dear representatives of the mass media,

I am now ready to answer all your questions, which may relate to both the topics mentioned in this opening speech and any other topic.

Thank you''.