Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, at a parliamentary session today tasked with reviewing a score of questions related to the country’s 2022 budget, said that Armenia faces difficult economic, social and security challenges caused by the 2020 war and that social and cultural transformations will be needed to overcome them.

Pashinyan said that the 2021 parliamentary elections resolved Armenia’s domestic political crisis and that “solid foundations were created for internal unity and for the people to look to the future.”

The Armenian prime minister said his government is working to improve the public administration system and to develop the capacities of the private sector.

He told MPs that the government will continue it investment stimulation agenda by increasing transparency in the public procurement system, expanding competitive bidding for state procurements, and drafting legislative changes to simplify relations with reliable companies.

"This will increase confidence of citizens that their taxes are being spent more efficiently. Every day, citizens of Armenia must feel the impact of the measures taken by the government on their lives. An important component of this is the involvement of the public in the various stages of budgeting and implementation.”  

Pashinyan said the 2022 budget is based on three main priorities: security system reform, infrastructure development, and the modernization of education and science.

"We will pay great attention to ensuring security, without which it will not be possible to achieve long-term development goals. In this sense, it is possible not only to modernize the army's defense capabilities, but also to create a favorable external environment around Armenia, with the consistent implementation of the agenda of opening an era of peaceful development for Armenia, Artsakh and the region.”