ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER: AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT FAILS TO KEEP HIS PROMISE
ArmInfo
2007-09-12 20:07:00
OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmen will visit the region to meet the
Presidents of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh at the end of this week,
Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan said in the National Assembly.
S.Sargsyan expressed hope that today Nagorno-Karabakh’s security is not
seriously threatened, even if one takes into account the development
of Azeri economy due to oil resources. "But if we are more attentive
and try to analyze the statements of the Azeri leadership, we’ll see
that they failed to attain the goal," the Prime Minister said. He
recalled Ilham Aliyev’s promise to equalize the military budget of
Azerbaijan with the whole budget of Armenia in 2007. "They failed
to do it. Armenia’s budget of 2008 will total 2,5 bln USD, and the
funds budgeted for military needs will be equal to Armenia’s budget
of 1998. I know that Azerbaijan’s budget of 2008 will total 6-6,5
bln USD, 1 bln USD of which are to cover military expenses.
Armenia’s leadership, particularly, the Armenian President takes all
measures to ensure a balance of forces in the region," S.Sargsyan
noted.