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Around $3 billion is needed to restore the combat-readiness of the Armenian military, second President Robert Kocharyan told a news conference with the Russian media in Yerevan on Thursday, citing the estimates of experts.

In the ex-president’s words, Turkey's influence in the region is growing. Armenia, as a military-political ally of Russia, lost the recent war in Artsakh, while Azerbaijan, an ally of Turkey, won the war, he said, according to  Sputnik Armenia.

"I believe we should find such a formula for integration with Russia that will allow us to rapidly restore our army," Kocharyan said.

He stated the current Armenian authorities fail to reveal the true scale of material losses and war casualties under the guise of protecting military secrets. However, according to experts, nearly $3 billion is needed for the restoration, Kocharyan noted.

"It is necessary to restore the Armenian Armed Forces as the most efficient army in the region," he said, adding effective governance is needed first and foremost in order to achieve that goal.

According to Kocharyan, there is a great deal of work ahead, which also requires public consolidation and the involvement of an intellectual elite capable of predicting threats and finding solutions.