We Must Always Be Prepared: Aliyev Says Defense Spending Will Increase in 2023 State Budget

The Azerbaijani authorities will increase funding for the defense sector when revising the 2023 state budget, President Ilham Aliyev announced today.

“Since the second Karabakh war, we have not stopped, on the contrary, we are moving forward. Additions will be made to this year's state budget, a significant part of which is again intended for defense purposes. Why? Because we must always be prepared. Threats are growing, the danger is increasing, and we must be able to overcome any threat,” Aliyev stated.

According to him, the Azerbaijani army ranks among the world's strongest militaries in terms of both equipment and combat readiness. “The army's build-up is still secured at an appropriate level and will continue to be supported,” Aliyev emphasized.

It was previously reported that Azerbaijan's 2023 state budget allocates 5.3 billion manat (over 3.1 billion dollars at current exchange rates) for defense and national security measures, which constitutes 16 percent of the state budget expenditures.