Sole purpose of military is protection of sovereignty, territorial integrity – Defense Minister

The Armenian military will be used solely for the protection of Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan said in parliament on Thursday.

“The reasonable re-equipment of the army is among our strategic priorities,” he said during debates on the 2026 state budget bill.

The minister noted that one of the main directions of Armenia’s security architecture is the expansion of military-technical cooperation and the diversification of armaments.

“In line with this approach, we continue work on modernizing the armed forces’ weaponry and collaborating with new partners. Our focus is also on the local defense industry. In 2022, we signed contracts worth approximately AMD 5.5 billion with local defense companies. Subsequently, through three-year contracts, that figure has grown to AMD 171 billion today,” Minister Papikyan said.

The Armenian government’s planned defense spending for 2026 is approximately AMD 567.5 billion (around US $1.48 billion), down from AMD 667 billion (US $1.74 billion) in 2025.