Armenia Unable to Match Azerbaijan and Türkiye in Defense Spending

Armenia's Speaker of Parliament, Alen Simonyan, stated that the country cannot compete with Azerbaijan and Türkiye in terms of military expenditure.

Speaking to journalists, Simonyan commented on the Armenian government's decision to reduce defense spending in the 2026 state budget. He emphasized that this decision should not be linked to Azerbaijan or the changing realities in the South Caucasus, The Caspian Post reports citing local media.

Simonyan added that the government's main priority today is the efficient use of financial resources.

Armenia plans to cut its defense budget by approximately 16%, reducing it to 560 billion drams (around $1.46 billion) in 2026.