Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has clarified why the 2026 state budget may not include an increase in defense expenditures.
“To fully understand the situation, we must note that in 2025, compared to the 2024 budget, there was a sharp increase in defense spending. This was driven by certain urgent needs,” the prime minister said in parliament, as quoted by Radar Armenia.
According to Pashinyan, Armenia’s defense spending in 2025 rose disproportionately—by 115 billion drams—compared to 2024, and a portion of those funds was allocated toward prepaying future debts and obligations.
“The loans that were used for defense and were due in 2030 or 2035, we chose to repay now to reduce the future debt burden,” he noted.
He added that if the sharp and disproportionate increase of 115 billion drams in 2025 had not occurred, there would have been a natural rise instead.
“The reason we’re not planning a defense spending increase in 2026, compared to 2025—and are instead projecting a decrease—is primarily because of this,” he said.
