Armenian opposition group calls for defense budget hike

An Armenian political initiative planning to run in upcoming parliamentary elections on Tuesday pledged to boost defense spending to at least 8% of gross domestic product in response to Azerbaijani advances along the border.

 

Members of the Wings of Unity movement staged a demonstration outside the Defense Ministry, presenting satellite images and coordinates they said showed Azerbaijani troop movements in the Vardenis and Jermuk regions during the summer of 2025.

 

Vardan Pashayan, a representative of the group, said peace was only possible if Armenia maintained a strong army and insisted the issue of de-occupation of Armenian territory must return to the negotiating table. He accused the government of repeated concessions.

 

Pashayan outlined four priorities: drafting a defense program within six months, legislating a minimum defense budget of 8% of GDP – which he said would add $1 billion next year – allocating $500 million to domestic defense firms to spur military industry, and publishing parliament’s report on the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war to ensure accountability.