AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA’S EXPANSION OF MILITARY EXPENDITURES MAY LEAD TO INEVITABLE RESUMPTION OF MILITARY OPERATIONS"

Trend News Agency
June 20 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 20 June / Т corr S. Agayeva/ Azerbaijani experts
think resumption of military operations between Azerbaijan and Armenia
will be inevitable in case of both countries continue expansion of
military expenditures for Army.

"Expansion of military expenditures and improvement of military
power of the Azerbaijani and Armenian Armies will definitely lead to
resumption of military operations in the region," independent military
expert Alakbar Mammadov said.

Enhancement of military expenditures by Azerbaijan irritates Armenian
administration, which decided to take adequate measures and to spend
funds to improve the military efficiency of its Army ready to prevent
any encroachment," Mammadov said to Trend News on 20 June.

" Azerbaijan’s military expenditures will rise from $1bln to $1.3bln
in 2008," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said previously.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan, which is still living in war conditions due
to unsettled Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, needs
a strong army. He noted "professionalism of the Army will be still
improved, new equipment, weapons and armaments will be purchased and
military-industrial complex will be established."

In response, Armenian President Serj Sargisyan stated Armenian
Army’s budget must increase. "Since negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict are still going on and the problem has not yet been settled,
so military operations may resume. Therefore, Army must be effective,
strong and ready to prevent any encroachment," Sargisyan said at talks
with the supreme officer staff of Armenia’s Armed Forces on 19 June.

"International community must prevent confrontation and call on
the sides to abstain from arming and recommencement of military
operations," expert said.

"International community must not allow Azerbaijan and Armenia to
resume military operations," independent military expert Uzeyir Jafarov
said. "Not everything must be contingent on them, though Azerbaijan
has more right to liberate in a military way its territory occupied
by Armenia," he said.

"Strong army is a strong element in negotiations and Azerbaijan may
make use of that. However, arms race will not have a good result. The
countries must stop militarization," he 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.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress