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No increase in defense spending is planned in 2026 compared to 2025, as the Armenian government had already disproportionately and sharply increased defense spending in 2025, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a Q&A session with Cabinet members in parliament.
"In 2025, compared to the 2024 budget, we had a disproportionately large increase in defense spending. We have directed part of these expenses to repay future debts and obligations, including in the defense sector," Pashinyan stated.
The Prime Minister explained that the Government considered it prudent to pay off debts that were originally due in 2030 or 2035 ahead, thereby reducing the debt burden. "We saw a financial opportunity, consolidated and paid off that debt now," he said.
"If there had not been a sharp and disproportionate increase of 115 billion drams in 2025, we would have seen natural growth in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. The fact that we do not plan to increase defense spending in 2026 compared to 2025, but instead to reduce it, is primarily related to this,” he explained.
He added that there are other reasons for reducing defense spending in 2026, which can be presented to parliament behind closed doors. “The policy we are pursuing not only does not pose any threat or make our security system vulnerable, it does not cause any problems. On the contrary, we are in a process of natural development, and this natural development will continue,” Pashinyan assured.