The Republic of Armenia in 2025 is a country capable of facing its problems and its destiny. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in his concluding remarks during Thursday’s National Assembly session debates on the 2026 state budget draft of Armenia. 

Addressing criticism that his government has not fulfilled its program, Pashinyan said: “There has never been, is not, and will never be any government in the world, in nature at all, that has implemented 100 percent of its program. Such a thing simply does not exist; it is nonsense. The program records the problems, the issues, the scope that the government must address.

Now what can we say about our program? The government program was adopted on August 26, 2021, in the National Assembly, with 70 votes in favor. And in the fifth point of the program, it is written: ‘Opening an era of peaceful development for Armenia and the region is, nevertheless, the greatest mission undertaken by the government before the people as a result of the snap elections.’ That is, we have fulfilled our greatest mission.

These people say, ‘No, that is not peace.’ Well, what is peace? That debate is normal, about what peace is, because we do not know what peace is; the Republic of Armenia does not have such knowledge, such experience about what peace is.

Peace means that for one year and eight months no soldier has died in crossfire within Armenia’s borders. Peace means that for three months people in border settlements have not heard gunfire. Peace means that a train, which brought wheat, has entered Armenia through Azerbaijan in the last 30-plus years. Part of that wheat can be used in bread. Part of that wheat could be given to chickens. Won’t our children eat the eggs which that chicken lay? Won’t our children eat that chicken’s meat? Part of that wheat could be given to pigs. Won’t your leader eat the meat of that pig? Or does he not eat pork?” the Armenian PM said.