Azerbaijan boosts defence budget amid rising Armenian militarisation

Azerbaijan has announced plans to increase its defence and security budget for 2025 in response to Armenia's large-scale militarisation efforts.

The draft state budget reveals that total spending on defence and security for the coming year will amount to 8.396 billion manats ($4.94 billion), Caliber.Az reports via local media.

This is a significant rise from the initially planned 6.658 billion manats ($3.92 billion). The increase, totalling 1.738 billion manats ($1.02 billion), comes at the direction of President Ilham Aliyev, in light of the ongoing militarisation in Armenia.

The additional funding will be secured through an increase in the transfer from Azerbaijan's State Oil Fund to the national budget, which will be raised by 1.7 billion manats ($1 billion).

The breakdown of the 2025 defence and security budget is as follows: 2.665 billion manats ($1.57 billion) for the armed forces, 467.9 million manats ($275.24 million) for national security, and 540.3 million manats ($317.82 million) for the border service.

In addition, 4.717 billion manats ($2.77 billion) will be allocated for other defence and national security-related activities.

This marks a significant rise in military spending, which has been steadily increasing since the 44-day war with Armenia in 2020. The war, triggered by long-standing tensions over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, led to significant military reforms in Azerbaijan, focusing on modernising its army and enhancing its weaponry.

Notably, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan dates back to the early 1990s, with Armenia occupying 20% of Azerbaijani territory after the Soviet Union's collapse. The subsequent war caused over 30,000 deaths and the displacement of one million Azerbaijanis. The war reignited in September 2020, leading to Azerbaijan regaining control over key territories and signing a tripartite ceasefire agreement in November 2020.

In the aftermath, Azerbaijan has been reinforcing its military capabilities, with a focus on establishing specialized commando units and adopting a Turkish-inspired military model. These units, trained in Türkiye, were instrumental in recent anti-terrorist operations in September 2023, which led to the neutralisation of illegal Armenian forces in Karabakh, ultimately restoring Azerbaijan’s full territorial sovereignty.

By Aghakazim Guliyev