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Armenian Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs addressed the problem of poverty, spoke about unemployment, pensions and salaries as well as demographic problems at a meeting with reporters on Tuesday.

Poverty reduction is top priority for the government, Mr Petrosyan said, adding that the poverty rate increased as a result of the economic crisis and for many years, the government has taken consistent measures towards poverty reduction.

Adressing the problem of unemployment, the official noted that it makes 17 percent and a little more, stressing that unemployment among youths is most alarming and added that it reaches 23-24 percent.

Speaking about pensions and salaries, Mr Petrosyan said that they are not satisfied with their current rate, although the pensions and salaries are raised periodically. “The salaries of government sector workers were raised significantly this year, and its positive results are already visible,” said the official.

“All these problems are reflected in the government’s main documents,” Petrosyan said, adding that 30 percent of the country’s budget is allocated to address the social problems.