Politics
We had a disproportionately large defense spending of 115 billion drams: Prime Minister (VIDEO)
"To fully understand the situation, we must note that in 2025, compared to the 2024 budget, a sharp increase in defense spending was recorded. This was due to certain urgent needs," Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, commenting on why there may not be an increase in defense spending in the 2026 budget.
According to the Prime Minister, in 2025, compared to 2024, a disproportionate increase in defense spending was recorded, and part of it was directed to repaying future debts and obligations. "We found it convenient to repay the loans that were directed to defense and that we should repay in 2030 or 2035 to reduce the future debt burden."
According to him, if there had not been a "sharp, disproportionate increase" of 115 billion drams in 2025, there would have been a natural increase. "The fact that we do not plan to increase defense spending in 2026 compared to 2025, but rather plan to decrease it, is primarily related to this," he said.
