Armenia raises defense spending
Armenia's expenditure budget made up $2.2 billion in 2012, and
the deficit of its budget will hit $326.5 million (about 14.5
percent of the budget) during the year, Azerbaijani Presidential
Administration Political Analysis and Information Provision
Department head Elnur Aslanov told journalists on Wednesday.
He said allocations for Armenia's military needs this year will be
more than 17 percent of expenditure budget.
"While in Azerbaijan this figure hits 8.1 percent this year.
According to the plan for 2013, Armenia plans to spend $450 million
on military expenditures, which is over 16 percent of the
expenditure budget. One should note for comparison that the
corresponding ratio [military expenditures to expenditure budget]
for 2013 in Azerbaijan will hit only 7.7 percent," Aslanov
said.
"If to compare percentage of military expenditures in the budgets
of Armenia and Azerbaijan, it is obvious that in Armenia, the
figure is at least two times higher than the relevant data on
Azerbaijan," he said.
"It is a clear demonstration of the high level of militarization of
Armenia. All this happens with disastrous social and economic
situation in the background, while the ruling elite is trying to
retain power through pressure on society and speculation around the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Because after the collapse of the
Armenian economy in 2009, it losses were two-digit, but the rise,
which the Armenian government has been talking about since 2010, is
relative to the previous year and remains in single digit.
Therefore, Armenia's economy has not bounced back to pre-crisis
level," Aslanov said.
He said by trying to preserve the status quo in the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the Armenian leadership aggravates
not only social and economic situation in the country, depriving
young generation of full-blown future, but once again demonstrates
that it is not interested in peace and stability in the region.
"Thus, any statements made by the Armenian leadership on its
alleged desire for peace and security in the region will crumble as
house of cards against the background of constant militarization of
the state and xenophobic statements by Armenian President," Aslanov
said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding
districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. -
are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.