RA defense budget in 2026 to shrink by 101.5 billion drams

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Ministry of Defense budget for 2026 will amount to 563.1 billion drams, according to the draft state budget approved by the Armenian government on September 25.

In 2025, the defense budget was 664.6 billion drams, meaning a reduction of 101.5 billion drams is planned for next year, Factor.am reported.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had already predicted this development in August.

“It is possible that in the 2026 budget there will be no significant increase in expenditures, including in defense spending. I think this is logical; at least, this is our current assessment,” Pashinyan had stated.

Before the Prime Minister’s remark, Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan stressed that amid the peace treaty initialed in Washington with Azerbaijan, the government planned to reduce the share of defense spending in 2026 compared to 2025.

By contrast, Azerbaijan is expanding its military budget. In 2026, Baku will allocate 5.12 billion U.S. dollars to defense, 90 million more than in 2025.