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 | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. |