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Agence France Presse
November 28, 2014 Friday 12:49 PM GMT
Azerbaijan boosts army spending as Armenia tensions soar
BAKU, Nov 28 2014
Azerbaijan's parliament on Friday approved a 2015 budget that sharply
boosted military spending in apparent response to rising tensions with
neighbour Armenia over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
The oil-rich Caucasus country's defence outlays will rise by 8.6
percent to more than 1.78 billion Azerbaijani manats ($2.3 billion,
1.8 billion euros).
The budget also expects the economy to expand by 3.6 percent this year
and 4.4 percent in 2015.
Azerbaijan is locked in a long-simmering conflict with Armenia over Karabakh.
Ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan had seized control of
the territory during a 1990s war that left some 30,000 dead, and no
peace deal has yet been signed.
An unprecedented spat of violence has erupted this year with the
arch-foes' forces regularly exchanging fire across their border and
along the Karabakh frontline, sparking fears of a major escalation in
the conflict.
Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state budget,
has threatened to take back the region by force if negotiations fail
to yield results. Armenia, which is heavily armed by Russia, says it
could crush any offensive.
eg-im/hmn
November 28, 2014 Friday 12:49 PM GMT
Azerbaijan boosts army spending as Armenia tensions soar
BAKU, Nov 28 2014
Azerbaijan's parliament on Friday approved a 2015 budget that sharply
boosted military spending in apparent response to rising tensions with
neighbour Armenia over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
The oil-rich Caucasus country's defence outlays will rise by 8.6
percent to more than 1.78 billion Azerbaijani manats ($2.3 billion,
1.8 billion euros).
The budget also expects the economy to expand by 3.6 percent this year
and 4.4 percent in 2015.
Azerbaijan is locked in a long-simmering conflict with Armenia over Karabakh.
Ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan had seized control of
the territory during a 1990s war that left some 30,000 dead, and no
peace deal has yet been signed.
An unprecedented spat of violence has erupted this year with the
arch-foes' forces regularly exchanging fire across their border and
along the Karabakh frontline, sparking fears of a major escalation in
the conflict.
Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state budget,
has threatened to take back the region by force if negotiations fail
to yield results. Armenia, which is heavily armed by Russia, says it
could crush any offensive.
eg-im/hmn