Armenian, Azeri military spending slightly up amid escalation threat

Armenian, Azeri military spending slightly up amid escalation threat

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia plans to allocate AMD 208.014 billion (approx. $ 430 million) to its 2016 defense sector budget.

AMD 200.353 billion will be spent on military defense, AMD 1.641 billion on the defense research projects, while another AMD 5.5 billion will go to other spheres of national defense.

In 2015, the military budget of Armenia totaled AMD 199,033 billion. Of these, AMD 191.687 billion were spent on military defense, approx. AMD 1.616 billion on the defense research projects, with another AMD 5.5 billion spent on other spheres of national defense.

Thus, a 4,5% upsurge in defense spending is planned in 2016.

Yerevan will be buying $ 200 million worth of Russian weaponry, with Moscow having issued a corresponding loan in summer of 2015.

Azerbaijan's defense expenditure for 2016 will amount to about AZN 1.838 billion (approx. $ 1.767 billion). However, Baku includes spending on the maintenance of the security services, police internal troops, border guards in the military spending budget, with actual army costs seeming significantly lower than declared.

The expenditure for Baku security forces will grow by 3.3% in manats, or about 3.5% in dollars in 2016. Details of budget distribution between the army, the secret services and police forces are still unrevealed. The 2015 data show, however, the army may take up two thirds of these costs.

Both countries buy weapons mainly from Russia. It should be noted, however, that unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia as a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) purchases Russian weapons directly from the manufacturer, bypassing Rosoboronexport, the sole state intermediary agency.

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