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Azerbaijan to build up military potential - pres
By Sevindzh Abdullayeva and Viktor Shulman
ITAR-TASS News Agency
August 16, 2005 Tuesday
BAKU, August 16 -- Azerbaijan's President Ilkham Aliyev said his
country will continue to build up its military potential.
Azerbaijan's defense spending grew 76 percent to 300 million dollars
this year, the president said at a solemn ceremony on Tuesday to hand
in banners to borderguard units.
"The government is facing the task to ensure at least the same
increase in defense spending as in the previous year," Aliyev said,
underlining that the military-technological basis of Azerbaijan's
armed forces should be strengthened.
New equipment and armaments have to be purchased, the president noted.
He said he was convinced that the building up of military potential,
along with political, diplomatic and economic factors would help
achieve the solution of the Karabakh conflict.
"Until it's too late, the Armenian leadership should understand that
we won't cede our land to anybody," the head of state said.
He also stated that "Armenia no longer can rival Azerbaijan which
considerably surpasses it in economic, political, and military terms.
"In a few years, the gap between us /Azerbaijan and Armenia/ will
become even wider," Aliyev noted.
He said he had ordered the government to increase the defense spending
to the size of Armenia's annual budget. "We'll accomplish it if such
a task has been set," the president emphasized.
By Sevindzh Abdullayeva and Viktor Shulman
ITAR-TASS News Agency
August 16, 2005 Tuesday
BAKU, August 16 -- Azerbaijan's President Ilkham Aliyev said his
country will continue to build up its military potential.
Azerbaijan's defense spending grew 76 percent to 300 million dollars
this year, the president said at a solemn ceremony on Tuesday to hand
in banners to borderguard units.
"The government is facing the task to ensure at least the same
increase in defense spending as in the previous year," Aliyev said,
underlining that the military-technological basis of Azerbaijan's
armed forces should be strengthened.
New equipment and armaments have to be purchased, the president noted.
He said he was convinced that the building up of military potential,
along with political, diplomatic and economic factors would help
achieve the solution of the Karabakh conflict.
"Until it's too late, the Armenian leadership should understand that
we won't cede our land to anybody," the head of state said.
He also stated that "Armenia no longer can rival Azerbaijan which
considerably surpasses it in economic, political, and military terms.
"In a few years, the gap between us /Azerbaijan and Armenia/ will
become even wider," Aliyev noted.
He said he had ordered the government to increase the defense spending
to the size of Armenia's annual budget. "We'll accomplish it if such
a task has been set," the president emphasized.