AZERBAIJAN’S OVER $1 BILLION BUDGET WILL NOT DO GOOD TO THE COUNTRY
PanARMENIAN.Net
11.09.2007 18:05 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Two significant trends have recently emerged in
the South Caucasus. First, a serious increase in defense spending,
which threatens to impact or even impede the course of economic reform
and social sector spending in each country. Second, a profound shift
in the regional balance of power," said Richard Giragosian, an expert
of the Jane’s Information Group (Washington) analytical center.
"Azerbaijan has increased its defense budget to over $1 billion. But
given the extent of corruption within the country, there is doubt
that whether the higher defense budget will actually be used to
invest in developing a modern and more capable of armed forces,
or used for acquiring military hardware and weapons or for funding
military training," he said.
As to Georgia, Mr Giragosian said, "While Georgia’s increased defense
spending is linked to the country’s strategic priority of closer
integration into Western security institutions, reflected by the
recent deepening of its ties with NATO, there are concerns over a
newly assertive and increasingly confrontational Georgian policy
toward its unresolved conflicts."
"Armenia has the strongest regional army against Azerbaijan’s 72 000
men in uniform. Armenia’s military prowess is generally identified
as a result of discipline, morale and combat training. Georgia has
the smallest force in the region numbering only about 17 500 active
duty personnel," he said.
"Against the backdrop of these two trends, the real imperatives
for regional security and stability are, nevertheless, internal in
nature and depend on institutional legitimacy, the rule of law and
good governance, and on local economic and politics much more than
grand geopolitics," he concluded