The involvement of foreign military specialists in the Armenian army is causing serious concern, Gaya Mammadov, a member of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis (Parliament), said at an event titled "Discussion on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's Speech in the Milli Majlis: Independent and Principled Foreign Policy" held at the Center for Analysis of International Relations in Baku on October 1, Report informs.
Mammadov emphasized that the President's focus on Azerbaijan's security issues in his parliamentary speech was not coincidental.
"Armenia's increase in military spending after the Patriotic War is a serious concern," Mammadov stated. "During the war in 2020, Armenia's military expenditure was $600 million. In subsequent years, this figure increased to $1.4 billion and $1.7 billion. It is clear that Armenia has significantly increased its military budget after the war."
The MP noted that the increased portion over the past three years is close to $3 billion. "This reflects only a part of the reality, as Armenia is acquiring weapons with great firepower and air defense systems, with France and India being its main partners. The involvement of foreign advisers in the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces is causing serious concern," he added.
Mammadov pointed out that although Azerbaijan's military budget is several times larger than Armenia's, the latter has an aggressive past and revisionist tendencies. "Whenever this state feels military superiority, it commits provocations against Azerbaijan and pursues a policy of occupation. Therefore, considering these points, the general concern is understandable. President Ilham Aliyev also noted in his speech that the draft budget will be submitted to the Milli Majlis, and it will reflect the issues of security and increasing military spending," he said.
The MP also emphasized that in the 18th century, the Iravan province had the highest number of mosques in Azerbaijan. "Azerbaijanis not only lived in Iravan and Western Azerbaijan but also left a great cultural heritage there. Therefore, the return of Western Azerbaijanis to these lands is kept in focus as one of the most important principles of human rights," Mammadov stressed, adding that the Western Azerbaijan Community has been operating since 1989 and continues to work professionally in this regard.