BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 15. Reforms were also carried out in the military sphere during the first six months. Structural reforms and reforms in military education have been carried out. Serious steps have been taken in connection with military exercises. New armed formations have been established. New contracts have been signed, military equipment, weaponry and ammunition are and will continue to be acquired, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said addressing the meeting dedicated to the results of six months of this year, Trend reports.
"We are continuing our work in the field of army building. Part of our economic and financial opportunities, which have increased this year, is aimed precisely at these issues. Additions have been made to the state budget, adjustments have been made and military spending has been significantly increased. Why? There are reasons for this. We identified military spending last year, when the budget for this year was being approved, and we thought that this was sufficient. However, because of the issues I have mentioned and other issues I have not mentioned here, we then felt that military spending should be increased. This increase will be channeled specifically into the acquisition of weapons with high-tech capabilities. I want to talk about this too, because we see that there is a need for the signing of new contracts. This year, during the adjustment, our military spending was increased in order to acquire the most modern military equipment and weapons. We will increase it as much as necessary, because we know well what war is, we know what occupation is, and we also know what a threat is. We must be ready to secure our right at any moment," the head of state said.