Armenian prime minister's office responds to ex-deputy of General Staff

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's office reacted to a high-profile statement by former Deputy General Staff Deputy Tiran Khachatryan regarding the insufficient funding of the army.

As Caliber.Az reports with reference to Armenian media, Khachatryan, in particular, said that in a number of cases, the army asked the government for money but was refused.

The press service of the Prime Minister's Office told "Armenpress" that Khachatryan from time to time makes not only groundless but also absurd accusations in the media. The authorities do not rule out that by doing so he is intentionally trying to mislead the public

"It is at least strange that in a number of episodes, the latter's allegations contradict the public statements of his former immediate superior, ex-General Staff chief Onik Gasparyan. Khachatryan is trying to create an impression with groundless statements that the normal development of the Armed Forces was hindered only by insufficient state funding," the PM's office noted.

The authorities recalled that from 2018 until the start of the 44-day war in 2020, the government allocated about 608 billion dramas ($1.5 billion) for the purchase of arms and military equipment.

The PM's office also claimed that from January 1, 2008, to May 2018 (i.e. in 10 years and 4 months), Armenia's previous governments spent 354 billion dramas ($885 million) for the same purposes.