Azerbaijan's Sharp Increase in Military Budget Poses Risks, Tigran Abrahamyan Says

The issue of Azerbaijan's sharp increase in its military budget was discussed from various aspects. I say sharp because a 21% increase poses significant risks and adds to all the existing risks. This was stated by Tigran Abrahamyan, advisor to the President of the Republic of Artsakh, on his Facebook page.

“When discussing Azerbaijan's armament and the increasing funds in this direction in the context of increasing military expenditures in the Armenian state budget, we must also take into account another equally important factor: What are our priorities in the military sector, particularly on the front line? Have these been defined in the short, medium, and long term? Are our available funds and the increase in military budget directed according to the correct priorities?” Abrahamyan noted.

“Some answers to my inquiries are classified information, but a lot depends on the responses to these questions in my case. For example, the increase in the salaries of officers on combat duty (in this context, the salaries of certain positions should also be adequately raised) and the increase in expenditures directed towards the construction of officers' housing was a priority. There are also other priorities that should be defined for the short term, and quick funds should be allocated to them (I will refrain from discussing these publicly). We need to clearly understand what problems we are placing in front of the armed forces, what priorities we are defining, what time frames we are implementing them over, what resources we are ensuring them with, and what major factors influence the resolution of the challenges set before the armed forces, and whether resources are allocated in a interconnected way for their provision,” Abrahamyan concluded.