AZERBAIJAN TO RAISE MILITARY SPENDING BY OVER 50 PER CENT – PRESIDENT
Azertag
April 14 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is going to boost its military spending by over 50 per
cent this year as the country is technically at war with neighbouring
Armenia, the state-run news agency Azartac has quoted President Ilham
Aliyev as saying.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on 14 April, Aliyev said that the
military spending would be increased from the current 1.3bn dollars
to nearly 2bn dollars.
"We should consider that we are at a state of war [with Armenia].
Although [the current military budget of] 1.3 bn dollars is a large
amount, I think and I am sure that we should increase it further,"
Aliyev was quoted as saying. "Now calculations are under way. I think
that this year’s military spending should be close to 2bn dollars."