A regular Cabinet meeting took place today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

During today's meeting, Nikol Pashinyan noted that an all-time record number of jobs was recorded in August: "Never before have we seen a historical peak in August. While there had been growth in August previously, we had recorded higher figures once or twice during the preceding months of those same years. This year is unprecedented because the highest figure of all time was recorded in the month of August. In August, there were 830,417 jobs, an increase of 307,130 compared to August 2017. The total wage fund has grown by 186 billion drams—or 208 percent—compared to August 2017."

The Prime Minister also reported that income tax figures for August 2026 showed an increase of 32 billion drams—or 144 percent—compared to August 2017, while the average wage rose by 161,000 drams—or 94 percent—over the same period.

The Prime Minister noted that, based on the results of the last nine months, state budget revenues amounted to 2 trillion 308 billion drams, representing a 14.7 percent increase compared to the same period last year. "The collected amount exceeds the budget figures adopted by the National Assembly by 126 billion drams. In other words, based on the nine-month results, we are exceeding the initial budget projections by 126 billion drams. Naturally, this is a positive indicator, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the citizens of Armenia who work, generate value, and pay their legally required taxes. I also wish to thank the public servants whose efforts have made this achievement possible, including the State Revenue Committee," the Prime Minister said.

In this context, Nikol Pashinyan addressed the issue of the shadow economy, emphasizing that a massive shadow sector still persists and that he is not satisfied with the pace, scale, methods, or effectiveness of the fight against it.

Turning to economic activity indicators, the Prime Minister reported that, contrary to pessimistic forecasts, the economic activity indicator stood at 5.2 percent in August 2026; the construction sector continues to grow rapidly, and significant activity is also evident in the real estate market.

According to the Prime Minister, data from the past eight months show that the economic activity indicator remains high: "We have an economic activity indicator of 7.3%; industrial activity grew by 7.4%, construction by 24%, and services by 12%. Foreign trade turnover recorded 3.2% activity, but in August, we also saw a modest 1.3% growth in exports—which is very positive, considering the events of the preceding period."

Nikol Pashinyan also addressed the rise in apartment rental rates and high prices in the real estate market. In this context, the Prime Minister discussed Armenia's housing stock, noting: "Essentially, 90% of it is dilapidated. The renovation program entails implementing investment projects to replace the existing housing stock with newly constructed buildings. This issue is highly pressing in the city of Yerevan, and we are addressing it; it is included in both our pre-election program and the Government’s program."

Speaking about the political aspects and implications of the economic indicators, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that, in his view, it is all a matter of optimism: "These indicators testify to one thing: people deeply believe in peace. This belief is very positive and important for the current stage, but we must see people's expectations through to the end. At this stage, peace exists—it is present and a reality—yet it is not fully institutionalized; the Government's paramount task is to carry these expectations to their ultimate fulfillment."

In the period ahead, our task must be to clearly define our objective, specifically, the fundamental action we must take: the signing and ratification of the peace agreement. We have fostered this expectation, and people have responded to and believed in it; now, they need to see us take this expectation, treating it as political capital, and carry it through to completion. This must be one of our strategic priorities, and it is from this basis that we must derive and formulate our political strategies”.

The government allocated 4.69 billion drams to improve road conditions.

By a government decision, football stadiums meeting UEFA standards—designed to accommodate over 10,000 spectators—will be constructed in Vanadzor and Ijevan.

The Government approved bills proposing amendments and supplements to the laws "On the Structure and Activities of the Government" and "On Bodies of the Public Administration System," as well as related legislation. As noted by Davit Khudatyan, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, the proposal entails renaming the State Property Management Committee to the State Assets Management Committee and the Water Committee to the Land and Water Committee, while transferring them from the jurisdiction of the ministry to the direct jurisdiction of the Government of the Republic of