Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday that over the past three years, orders worth 170 billion AMD (roughly 460 million USD) have been placed in Armenia’s defense industry, resulting in the establishment of dozens of enterprises and factories.

Speaking at a press briefing in Yerevan, Pashinyan said the development of the defense industry should be viewed as a natural process for a developing country. He made the remarks when asked about a video he shared earlier in the day showing rehearsals for the May 28 Republic Day military parade, which featured homegrown reconnaissance-combat UAVs as well as what appeared to be the CAESAR self-propelled howitzers that Armenia purchased from France.

“I believe that in our assessments, we should be as free from pathos as possible because we need to understand that this is a normal phenomenon for a developing country,” the Prime Minister said when asked specifically about the development of the domestic defense industry.

According to him, the orders implemented in the defense industry have led to the creation of new production facilities.

“Over the past three years, we have placed orders worth 170 billion AMD in Armenia’s defense industry complex, resulting in the establishment of dozens of enterprises and factories that are manufacturing equipment,” Pashinyan noted.

The Prime Minister also urged citizens to attend the event planned at Yerevan’s Republic Square on May 28.

“All citizens of the Republic of Armenia should be present at Republic Square to recognize that the Republic of Armenia now has a new-quality, new-level, and new-logic military,” he said.

Pashinyan earlier announced that the Armenian government will showcase military equipment acquired during his tenure during a May 28 Republic Day event in central Yerevan. He had previously said that the event would serve as a “report to citizens” on his administration’s defense reforms.