Azerbaijani media reports that Elnur Aslanov, head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Political Analysis and Information Provision Department chad press conference and talked about Armenia’s defense field.
According to him Armenian leadership activates militarization in the country.
“Armenia’s expenditure budget made up $2.2 billion, and the deficit of its budget will hit $326.5 million (about 14.5 percent of the budget) during the year. 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 – editor’s note) for 2013 in Azerbaijan will hit only 7.7 percent,” said Aslanov adding “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”.
He said that by trying to preserve the status quo in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the “Armenian leadership aggravates not only socio-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”.
