Armenia does its best to keep pace with Azerbaijan when it comes to refurbishment of the armed forces, Koryun Nahapetyan, Head of the Armenian Parliament Committee for Defense, National Security and Interior, said in the Parliament, Wednesday.
He said Azerbaijan has increased its defense budget 20-fold over the last 7 years. Armenia keeps arming as possible. The parliamentarian said the country surveys the situation in the armed forces of Azerbaijan and other countries in the region. Given Azerbaijan's growing militarization, the Armed Forces of Armenia are undergoing refurbishment. To that end, Nahapetyan said, the president of Armenia has decreed setting up a commission to implement the second stage of the country's defense strategy, survey the possible threats and challenges etc. Later, a new national security strategy and military doctrine will be developed. In this light, it is necessary to assess the military potential of Armenia's opponents and neighbors.
Azerbaijan is set to increase its military costs to 1,778.5 million mantas (an 8.6% growth) in 2015, while Armenia's defense budget will account 21.5% of total budget revenues (1.184.5 bln drams).