Azerbaijan increases defence spending by some 60m dollars in 2005

Turan news agency, Baku
21 Jun 05

Baku, 21 June: Milli Maclis (parliament) today adopted draft
amendments to Azerbaijan’s 2005 state budget.

Sattar Safarov, head of the parliament’s economic policy commission,
submitted the draft and said the amendments had to do with an increase
in the country’s revenues.

Under the adopted amendments, the budget revenue will increase by
800bn manats [169m dollars] (from 9,422bn manats [2bn dollars] to
10,222bn manats [2.2bn dollars]). The budget expenditure will increase
by 1,015bn manats [214m dollars] (from 10,001bn manats [2.1bn dollars]
to 11,016bn manats [2.3bn dollars]).

[Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku, in Azeri, 1530 gmt 21 June 05 showed
Finance Minister Avaz Alakbarov saying that 59m dollars, or 27.4 per
cent of the budget’s additional revenue, will be spent on defence.]