Armenia’s Pashinyan says necessary to invest extra $2.5 billion in armyDecember 13, 2018 - 12:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, December 13 that he prioritizes the enhancement of capabilities of the Armenian Armed Forces, maintaining that additional $2.5 billion is necessary to this end. “We have said that we must be able to invest $2.5 billion into the development of the army in five years,” said Pashinyan, whose party won a landslide victory in the December 9 snap parliamentary elections. “We need to make serious effort to find the additional resources.” The acting PM also weighed in on the necessity to modernize the country’s military-industrial complex, the solution of which, he said, is connected with the government’s vision of turning Armenia into a technological and engineering country. Under the budget for 2019, AMD 307 billion (more than $625 million) will be allocated to the Defense Ministry. From this sum, AMD 300.5 billion will be spent on military defense measures. The defense budget of 2018 had grown 17.6% against the previous year. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. 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. |