Pashinyan: $1.5 bn of army budget must come from anti-corruption driveFebruary 20, 2020 - 18:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - $1.5 billion from expenditures on the Armed Forces should be generated through measures taken within the country’s anti-corruption campaign, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, February 20. Pashinyan said that raising the efficiency of the fight against corruption and returning more money to the budget will be one of the most important challenges in the near future. "I would like to remind you that during the 2018 election process I made a political statement that we would have to spend $2.5 billion more on our security needs in the next five years to boost the combat readiness of the Armed Forces,” the PM said. “Out of the $2.5 billion in question, $1.5 billion should be generated an efficient fight against corruption, including through returning funds to the budget.” Pashinyan said on February 14 that $105 million was returned to the budget as a result of the anti-corruption campaign, noting that Armenia has made “tremendous progress” in its perception of corruption. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |