AZERI LEADER SAYS MILITARY SPENDING TO INCREASE FURTHER

ITV
4 Sep 07
Baku

[Presenter] President Ilham Aliyev today chaired a meeting on problems
facing our compatriots who had to flee their homes due to the military
aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan.

[Correspondent] Nagornyy Karabakh will never be granted
independence. The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagornyy Karabakh
will be resolved within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and the rights of refugees and displaced persons will be
ensured. Speaking at the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said that
a million of our compatriots had to flee their homes as a result of
Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan.

Ethnic cleansing has been carried out on our territory. Peace talks are
continuing despite the fact that this injustice has been continuing
for many years. The success of the Prague process will support a
peaceful solution to the conflict.

The president stressed that Azerbaijan’s international image had
also been boosted in the past few years. He said that the country’s
military potential had been increasing, therefore, if the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict was not resolved peacefully, the Baku government
might resort to other means.

Azerbaijan can liberate its lands using any method. The president said
that the dragging out of the resolution of the conflict could result
in greater complications. Armenia should understand this, he said.

The president said that the Azerbaijani government had taken serious
measures to resolve problems facing refugees and displaced persons. All
tent camps will be closed down by the end of this year, he said.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that at the moment Azerbaijan is making
every effort to resolve problems facing refugees and displaced
persons. On the other hand, army building is also a priority issue
for the country.

[Ilham Aliyev] We have increased military spending manifold over the
past few years. In the 2007 state budget, military spending stands
at 1bn dollars. The 2008 budget is on the agenda. It is expected to
be submitted soon. I have issued instructions to increase military
spending.

Although 1bn dollars is already a large sum – I can say that we are
at the forefront among the CIS countries – but we are at war, our
territory is under occupation, therefore, we can spend any amount of
money on this sphere.