The rise in prices has cast doubt on the ability of Karabakh refugees to purchase housing under the housing program.

More than 39 thousand refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh have acquired Armenian citizenship, but only 3,300 families have used housing certificates. Meanwhile, housing prices have skyrocketed in recent years, and only large families can buy apartments or houses without a mortgage, even in remote cities of the country.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", after changes in the housing program, refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh complained about rising prices for purchasing and renting housing in the regions of Armenia. The housing program with new conditions still does not solve the problems of small families of forced migrants, analysts pointed out.

More than 39 thousand refugees have received Armenian citizenship

According to the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia, as of July 2026, more than 39,650 refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh have acquired citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, including about 12,000 minors who obtained citizenship based on their parents' applications or during the passport issuance process.

The service noted that citizenship issues are processed through an electronic system, and no cases of refusal to grant citizenship applications have been recorded, and for forced migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh, the procedure for obtaining Armenian citizenship is completely free of charge.

According to the advisor for coordinating certain functions of structural divisions of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Gayane Karagezyan, about 7 thousand refugee families have received housing certificates under the state support program, of which certificates have been realized by up to 3,300 families.

Karagezyan noted that the government does not plan any changes to the housing program for refugees.

Activists reported multiple problems faced by refugees

The public organization "Union of Artsakh" conducted a study, which revealed that the poverty level among refugees is about 70%, which is almost three times higher than the average indicator in the Republic of Armenia - about 23%.

The unemployment rate among able-bodied Karabakh residents is about 70%, which is approximately five times higher than the average rate in Armenia - 14%

The unemployment rate among able-bodied Artsakh residents (Karabakh residents) is about 70%, which is approximately five times higher than the average rate in Armenia - 14%. The average salary of working Artsakh residents is about 40% lower than the average salary in the Republic of Armenia. About 80% of displaced Artsakh residents still do not have their own housing and mainly live in rented apartments, which means that the size of the consumer basket for these families exceeds the official average indicator,” the organization noted.

This situation has arisen due to the failed social and housing programs, as well as employment initiatives developed by the Armenian authorities, stated the chairman of the "Union of Artsakh", former ombudsman of Nagorno-Karabakh Artak Beglaryan.

The government claims, both domestically and internationally, that Armenia has overcome the "humanitarian crisis of refugees" and calls refugees ungrateful when we point out existing problems. The reality is painfully and categorically different from the government's propaganda myth,” he stated.

The state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Njde Iskandaryan noted that "the number of those wishing to obtain citizenship has increased, as the government has established mandatory Armenian citizenship for participation in the state housing provision program and other social programs."

According to him, the problems of refugees remain multifaceted and extremely relevant - ranging from housing issues to employment, education, healthcare, and legal protection.

"After such a large-scale forced resettlement, it would be natural and expected to create a single authorized structure dealing with the problems of Artsakh residents, or at least a clear coordinating mechanism. Unfortunately, over the past years, we have not seen such an institutional approach. Instead, today the issues of Artsakh residents are handled by various agencies within their powers, resulting in many problems remaining unresolved or only partially addressed. We have repeatedly stated the need to create such a mechanism, but to date, a management system that corresponds to the scale of existing challenges has not been formed," Iskandaryan said.

In his opinion, the problems of Artsakh residents can be solved, "if they are viewed not as a temporary social burden, but as a matter of national significance requiring the unification of efforts from the state, the Armenian, and the international community."

A lawyer from Nagorno-Karabakh, the founder and director of the law firm "Legal Center" David Ovanisyan noted that refugees are facing a whole range of problems.

"Among these problems, the most common is the issue of restoring and correcting legal documents. To obtain Armenian citizenship, the relevant state authorities require that all documents fully correspond to each other. For this, refugees must contact the Civil Status Registration Agency under the Ministry of Justice of Armenia. However, this process is quite lengthy, so the problem remains relevant to this day," the lawyer noted.

Refugees lack funds to purchase housing

A lawyer from Nagorno-Karabakh, a public figure Anush Shahramanyan believes that real support in solving the housing problem for forcibly displaced persons would be the provision of a preferential loan with a low interest rate simultaneously with the housing certificate.

"The proposed rate of 13% is excessively high, especially considering that the country has had a successful preferential program called 'Young Family' for many years. What prevents similar conditions from being extended to a limited number of families subjected to forced resettlement? In the current format, banks are effectively getting a profitable deal with the state at the expense of displaced persons and their difficult situation," Shahramanyan told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".

The current program is only beneficial for large families. For all others, a loan with such an interest rate cannot be considered a real measure of support.

According to her, "in addition to the amount of support provided by the state, 90% of families are forced to take out a loan of at least 20-30 million drams (54,650 - 81,980 dollars) to purchase housing, and at a 13% rate, the monthly payments on interest alone are comparable to the cost of renting an apartment in the center of Yerevan."

"The current program is only beneficial for large families. For all others, a loan with such an interest rate cannot be considered a real measure of support," the lawyer stated.

Now it is even difficult to find a land plot for 20 million drams (54,650 dollars). Why does the state not take into account how much prices have risen?

Irina Atayan from Nagorno-Karabakh believes that those who managed to buy housing earlier, when the program was just starting, were indeed lucky - at that time, housing prices were completely different, several times lower.

"And now it is even difficult to find a land plot for 20 million drams (54,650 dollars). Why does the state not take into account how much prices have risen?" she told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".

Vladimir Grigoryan noted that in the remote city of Razdan, a one-room apartment costs from 12 million drams (32,790 dollars).

"The program does not take into account the real prices of housing in those localities where one can find employment," he emphasized.

Lusina Arutyunyan shared that she is ready to buy housing in the region, but a mortgage needs to be arranged with the certificate. "For this, they require an official income of over 350 thousand drams (more than 950 dollars), and most do not have such salaries. As a result, it is impossible to take advantage of the program, the certificate will simply lose its validity, and people will be left with nothing again. If the program were made more accessible, the number of families who bought housing under the program would be much higher," the refugee noted.

Alvard Grigoryan