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 | Russia clarifying reports on Baku’s alleged arms supply to Ukraine Russia says is carefully working to verify reports about alleged arms supplies from Azerbaijan to Ukraine Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. |