Azernews.Az

Armenia has no intention to become involved in an armaments race with Azerbaijan, but will continue arming its military, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian has said.
"The armed forces of any given country arm themselves as much as they can, and we consider this a normal process. We will not get involved in an armaments race, but we have our own plans and are fulfilling our tasks on armaments and upgrade of the armed forces," he told reporters on Friday.
Azerbaijan has been continuously increasing its military budget in recent years. The country`s defense spending has increased more than ten times in the past five years to now exceed $2 billion, which almost equals Armenia`s overall budget.
The Armenian minister claimed the combat readiness of his country`s army today shows that Armenia`s armed forces, in terms of "quality," have not fallen behind those of Azerbaijan`s "quantity."
"The Armenian military will counter-oppose its combat readiness and military spirit to the process of Azerbaijan`s armament," he said. "We will be able to adequately respond to them, especially given that we have done this before."
The two South Caucasus republics fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Peace talks have been fruitless so far.
Commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev`s warnings that Armenia would continue to face isolation if it sticks to its policy of aggression, Ohanian claimed Azerbaijan "would always try to create inconvenient situations for Armenia," but pledged his country would "find ways to realize its outlined programs and objectives."