News - Armenia PM: We have more than doubled defense spending but this is not preparation for war

The 2024 budget more than doubles defense spending compared to 2018. But this is not a preparation for war, but for peace, because the feeling of protection of citizens is the most important guarantee of peace and stability. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in his remarks Thursday during the debates on the 2024 state budget draft in the National Assembly of Armenia. "I am sure [that] all our neighboring countries are convinced that we [Armenia] have no intention of attacking anyone. In that regard, I don’t consider sincere for two reasons the concerns being expressed about the reforms and achievements of our armed forces. Firstly, it is not only the right, but also the duty of each and every sovereign state to reform, strengthen the army. Secondly, in the last ten years, the defense spending of Azerbaijan has been three times higher than the same indicator of Armenia on average and, in fact, continues to be so," added Pashinyan.