From AP:  Azerbaijan’s president has announced a sharp hike in military spending and again warned neighboring Armenia to pull out of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

President Ilkham Aliyev said in remarks published Wednesday in state newspapers that this year’s defense budget will rise to $3.7 billion, up from $3 billion last year.

Annual military spending increases have taken place amid persisting tensions between Azerbaijan and fellow former Soviet republic Armenia.  (photo: Trend News Agency)

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