Armenia to continue military reforms, including defense procurement, says minister

Armenia will continue defense sector reforms in line with its needs, including the acquisition of weapons and military equipment, Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan said when asked about defense spending cuts for 2026.

“Compared to the budget growth trends of previous years, the 2026 budget does not show any deviation, except for the difference that occurred in 2025, when our expenditures suddenly increased due to advanced payments. If we compare 2026 with 2024, it reflects a natural rate of development,” Papikyan said at a press briefing.

He emphasized that there is nothing unusual or extraordinary about this.
“Armenia will continue reforms in accordance with its needs, including the procurement of weapons and military equipment. However, August 8 is an important fact, and it cannot be ignored by us as an established reality. Naturally, it must have its consequences,” the minister said, referring to the initialing of the peace treaty with Azerbaijan. 

In 2018, the expenditures of the Armenian state budget for the defense sector amounted to 245.173 billion AMD; in 2019, 307.983 billion AMD; in 2020, 308.862 billion AMD; in 2021, 313.123 billion AMD; in 2022, 346.779 billion AMD; in 2023, 519.523 billion AMD; in 2024, 556.193 billion AMD; in 2025, 667.052 billion AMD; and for 2026, the expenditure is planned at 567.513 billion AMD.