ARMENIAN DM SAYS DEFENSE BUDGET ENOUGH TO ENSURE HIGH COMBAT READINESS

Armenpress
Nov 06 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenian defense minister Serzh
Sarkisian said today the amount of defense spending envisaged by next
year’s government budget is quite sufficient to keep an effective army.

Speaking to journalists after parliament hearings on 2007 budget the
minister said Armenia’s military budget for next year will soar by
35 percent. He said from now on Armenia’s military budget will make
3.65 percent of the country’s GDP. "Therefore the stronger Armenian
economy is the bigger the defense spending will be,’ he said.

The minister said nearly half of this budget will be used to pay army
officers. Next year the average wage of a military officer will grow
to 165,000 drams (approximately $450). The minister commented also
on Azerbaijan’s plans to increase its military spending for next year
up to $1 billion, saying a wise and thrifty use of the budget is more
important than its volume.

The draft 2007 budget calls for 100.4 billion drams (about $300
million) in military spending.