INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS CANNOT DICTATE AZERBAIJAN ISSUES CONCERNING MILITARY BUDGET – DEFENSE MINISTRY’S PRESS-SERVICE

TREND Information
Nov 30 2007
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. E.Huseynli / Azerbaijan forms the
military budget in compliance with its national interests. "No
international organization can dictate Azerbaijan issues concerning
increase of military budget," Eldar Safarov, the head of the Defense
Ministry’s press-service, reported on 30 November.

The Azerbaijani State Budget for 2008 exceeds AZN 7bln. The Government
allocated some AZN 1bln to military expenditures.

The special representative of the European Union on South Caucasus
Piter Semnebi on his visit to Armenia on 19 November stated that the
increase of the military budget of Azerbaijan may cause danger.

Safarov said that international organizations should be alarmed of
increase of military budget of the countries which have no military
conflict. Taking into consideration that Azerbaijan has a territorial
conflict the increase in military budget of Azerbaijan is a real fact.

"If international countries do not want a war they must force Armenia
to reject from its occupy policy," Safarov said.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.