$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.