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  • BAKU: Azerbaijan, Armenia's Expansion of Military Expenditures May L

    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.

    --Boundary_(ID_09yimSNLuH0 igjqn9hgTow)--

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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