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After military defeats against neighboring Azerbaijan in the battle for the Nagorno-Karabakh exclave, the Armenian leadership is investing a lot of money in its armed forces. “We are on the path to acquiring new and modern weapons and equipment,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in Yerevan on Sunday. To this end, his government had already awarded contracts to domestic industry worth “several hundreds of millions of dollars” last year. The money came from tax revenues, which he said exceeded projected budget revenues by about $2.5 billion.

“The reform of the army and armed forces will also be implemented through these means.” New priorities must be set in the training of officers and in the expansion of reserve units.

In a bloody civil war, Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Baku in the 1990s, supported by Yerevan. Azerbaijan achieved military revenge after 2020 and the country retook the breakaway territory in two phases – most recently through a massive attack this fall. More than 100,000 people fled.

Even after the end of the armed conflict, the situation remains complicated. Although negotiations are underway to find a peace solution, there is great distrust on both sides. Armenia accuses its neighbor of planning further conquests.

It remained unclear whether Pashinyan’s plans to strengthen Armenian forces should result in a new military campaign against Azerbaijan. “The Republic of Armenia does not claim any territory other than its sovereign territory, and no one can claim any territory of the Republic of Armenia,” he said. “We are prepared to make such guarantees, permanent and irreversible guarantees, but we expect similar guarantees from others.” (sda/dpa)