SERGE SARGSIAN: I WOULD LIKE ALL BUDGETS OF ARMENIA TO BE PRE-ELECTION

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 6 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The amount of allocations envisaged
by the 2007 draft state budget of the RA for the sphere of defence is
sufficient to keep the fighting efficiency of the Armenian army. The
RA Defence Minister Serge Sargsian told this to reporters after the
closed-door discussion of the 2007 state budget allocations for defence
at the joint sitting of the RA National Assembly standing committees
on November 6.

Comparing the military budgets of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the minister
said: "A billion dillars cannot certainly be compared with 300 million
dollars. But if 300 million is spent sparingly and purposefully,
I think it will be sufficient."

According to him, a growth in financing the RA Defence Ministry is
envisaged in 2007. The minister said that every year the amount of
allocations for the defence sphere makes up 3.5% of the country’s
GDP. In his words, the allocations for defence will be proportional
to the growth of the Armenian economy.

S. Sargsian said that in 2007, 48% of budget allocations for defence
will be aimed at increasing salaries, thanks to which the average
salary of officers will make 165 thousand drams (about 434 USD).

As for the accusation voiced against the government that the 2007
budget is pre-elction rather than social, S. Sargsian noted that even
if this is the case, it does not change anything as a pre-elction
budget should have a social orientation. "I would like all the budgets
of Armenia to be pre-election, that is, aimed at solving the social
problems," the defence minister stated.