The government of Azerbaijan is earmarking $5 billion for defense expenditures next year, according to a draft state budget presented Wednesday for approval.
The Baku-based APA news agency reported the news, adding that the amount will cover Azerbaijan’s defense and national security expenses.
This large defense spending by Azerbaijan comes amid Baku’s ongoing protests over Armenia’s recent military deals with several countries, including France.
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and high-level officials in his administration have been criticizing Yerevan for acquiring military hardware from various countries, including France and India, accusing especially Paris of arming Armenia and escalating tensions between the two neighboring countries.
Yet Aliyev has boasted about Azerbaijan’s military capabilities and the billions of dollars his government is spending to bolster its armed forces.
Last week, Forbes reported that Turkey and Israel have been upgrading Azerbaijan’s aging Russian military hardware, despite Baku’s ongoing defense purchases from the two countries to bolster its military.
