Pashinyan Says Armenia Is Not Preparing for War, as Peace Is His Government’s Primary Security Guarantee

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan used Armenia’s Army Day to speak on recent military reforms, explain changes in the country’s security policy, and insist that his government is focused on peace rather than preparing for another war.

The message was delivered on the 34th anniversary of the creation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. In it, Pashinyan described the army’s difficult early years and said that major efforts in recent times had begun to reshape the institution and strengthen its defensive capacity.

He opened by stating:

“Dear people, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

Today we mark the 34th anniversary of the formation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia.

Our army has gone through a difficult period of formation, faced challenges and hardships, but today we can state that we have an army that is changing and whose defensive capability is increasing every day.”

A central part of the prime minister’s message focused on money spent on the military and on programs meant to professionalize service. He stressed that large investments had been made in recent years and highlighted the voluntary certification system, which links soldiers’ salaries to their training and skills.

“In recent years, we have made massive investments and reforms in our army.

First is the voluntary certification program, which made it possible to double soldiers’ pay depending on their professional skills. Today, tens of thousands of servicemen in our army, thanks to voluntary certification, receive 30, 50, 100 and even higher percent increases in pay compared to the period before the certification.”

Pashinyan said enlisted soldiers were now earning high wages by Armenian standards, and that officers could make even more.

“In our army, there are many enlisted servicemen receiving salaries of 700,000 drams. Officers’ salaries can exceed 1, 1.5, and 2 million drams. This is an important social guarantee for servicemen, their family members, and society, which can be confident in the professional level of our servicemen and in the existence of a motivational system for continuously raising it.”

The prime minister also addressed the purchase of new weapons and military equipment, saying Armenia had recently acquired systems it had never possessed before. He noted that such purchases required major financial resources, but then asked why similar deals had not been made earlier, from 2018 through 2022.

He explained that many potential arms suppliers had refused to sell to Armenia during those years, and listed two reasons:

“They were not confident that those weapons would not be deployed outside the internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Armenia.

They were not confident that the secret parameters of those weapons would not become accessible to the CSTO, whose membership by the Republic of Armenia was also an obstacle to concluding such deals.”

Pashinyan went on to accuse Armenia’s CSTO partners of failing to meet their obligations after September 2022, including refusing to deliver weapons that had already been paid for.

“Meanwhile, as of September 2022, CSTO partners were refusing to fulfill their contractual obligations toward us to guarantee Armenia’s security and territorial integrity. They were also refusing to supply hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of weapons and equipment for which the Republic of Armenia had already made payments.

This was an existential threat to the Republic of Armenia, and it was evident that a decision had been made to eliminate our statehood and reduce our sovereignty to zero.”

According to the prime minister, that danger eased after two major political steps. One was the October 6, 2022 meeting in Prague, where Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to recognize each other’s territorial integrity on the basis of the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. The other was Armenia’s decision to freeze its membership in the CSTO.

“This critical danger was overcome as a result of two decisive developments: the political agreement reached on October 6, 2022, in Prague in a quadrilateral format, according to which the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan recognize each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty on the basis of the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, and the freezing of Armenia’s membership in the CSTO.”

Pashinyan said his government would continue on this path and made clear what he described as the army’s mission.

“We will consistently continue this strategy. We clearly state and continue to state that the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia have no mission outside the defense of their internationally recognized territory of 29,743 square kilometers, except for participation in peacekeeping missions on the basis of international treaties.”

He also referred to ongoing negotiations over border areas and said disputes over Armenian territory would be handled through the work of border delimitation commissions.

“As for the occupied territories of the Republic of Armenia, the formula for resolving that issue, which is recorded in the regulations on the joint activities of the Armenia–Azerbaijan border delimitation commissions, already has the highest legal force in both countries, and the problem will be resolved in the delimitation process.”

Returning to domestic reforms, the prime minister listed several programs aimed at changing how military service works. He highlighted the “Defender of the Homeland” initiative, which allows conscripts to switch to contract service, earn more through certification, and live at home while serving.

“Special mention should be made of the ‘Defender of the Homeland’ program, under which thousands of conscripts have been given the opportunity to become contract servicemen, receive higher pay through voluntary certification, and live at home during their service.”

He added that many young soldiers were already receiving large monthly salaries.

“Today we have many 19-year-old servicemen who receive monthly salaries of 500,000 to 600,000 drams. I am convinced that many of them will later decide to continue contract service, including obtaining an officer’s education and serving as officers.”

Pashinyan also pointed to changes in the length of mandatory service, which he said had been cut from two years to a year and a half.

“The length of compulsory military service has been reduced from 24 months to 18 months. This significantly improves the conditions of compulsory military service.”

He noted that major construction and fortification work was underway along Armenia’s borders and said these projects were raising the overall level of defense.

“Large-scale fortification work is being carried out along our borders, bringing a new level to our defense system.”

While he said the message format did not allow him to describe every reform in detail, Pashinyan argued that the recent changes were vital for the country’s future.

“The format of a message does not allow me to go into greater detail, but what has been done in the army in recent years is a cornerstone of our state’s continuity, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of our borders.”

One of the strongest lines in the address was Pashinyan’s insistence that Armenia was not preparing for another conflict. He said peace with Azerbaijan had already been achieved and described it as the best possible security guarantee.

“But I also want to emphasize: we are not preparing for war, because there will be no war. Peace has been established between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and there is no more reliable guarantee of security than peace.

We will strengthen this most reliable guarantee of security.”

At the same time, he said military development would continue, arguing that diplomacy must be backed by a capable army.

“At the same time, the development of the army will continue steadily, because the army is one of the most important institutions of the state, and it is extremely important to have a strong, capable army to confront possible future threats in cases where diplomacy is unable to do so.

A country without a strong army is vulnerable and can become tempting for aggression. The Republic of Armenia must never be like that.”

The message ended with a tribute to those who had died in service and a declaration of loyalty to the state.

“Glory to the fallen and long live the Republic of Armenia.”

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