10/10/2019 11:09
The “elevator honeymoon” with adversary ended, each slowdown to be costly for us: Avetik Chalabyan
Co-founder of National Agenda party Avetik Chalabyan wrote a Facebook post stressing that with the 2020 state budget Armenia’s military defense expenses will be raised by just 0,8%.
“If we do not want the repetition of 2016 April war, today’s government must give up its contradictory rhetoric,” he wrote.
Chalabyan stressed in war conditions when military actions may resume at any moment the Armenian government is supposed to do everything to prepare the country, the army and people to possible war by becoming one fist and combating the enemy’s ambitions while instead at September 30 session it approves the 2020 state budget draft which sets the main expenses for the upcoming one year.
“With this budget our military defense expenses grow by just 0,8% making 303 billion AMD from the current 300,5 billion, in conditions when the general state budget is planned to grow its expenses by 14% making 1,880 billion AMD from the 1,648 billion,” he wrote, adding that such situation would have been justified in other conditions not in the ones of threat of war.
“The “elevator honeymoon” with the enemy has ended and each slowdown will be costly for us. If this government has not understand it yet the rest clearly see it,” Chalabyan stressed, adding that he demands from the government and the National Assembly adoption of defense budget equivalent to war conditions and prepare to protect people and the country.