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Akbar Novruz

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been “established”, stressing the need to reinforce and institutionalise it, Azernews reports, citing Armenian media.

“Let me state once again: yes, peace has been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and our task is to strengthen and institutionalise this peace,” Pashinyan told lawmakers during a session of the National Assembly.

He also noted that growing trust between the two countries is essential for real progress. “If we speak very roughly, every millimetre of growth in trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan leads to ten centimetres of practical progress. I want to say that today I am much more optimistic about the prospects for peace than, for example, on August 15 or 20, 2025.”

Turning to domestic criticism, Pashinyan addressed opposition concerns over Armenia’s rising public debt. He argued that the figures must be viewed in the context of massive defence expenditures.

“We hadn’t mentioned this before, but now we can, because peace has been established. I am surprised when the opposition talks about increasing public debt. Have they not seen or understood the capital expenditures for the Ministry of Defence amounting to $4.4 billion, which are already included in the budget? Haven’t they seen it? How is it possible not to see it?” he said, urging critics to acknowledge the commitments already written into state spending.

He additionally referred to unplanned budgetary burdens arising from Armenians who voluntarily left Garabagh in 2023: “The next issue relates to expenditures for unplanned functions connected to Garabagh and refugees from Garabagh. That’s it, nothing else!”