The Parliament of Latvia has started to consider a law on financing of defense

The concept provides for the gradual increase of the defense budget of the country by 2020 up to 2% of GDP. Politicians claim that the increase of the defense budget will not affect other budget lines, informs a portal lsm. Lv.
Currently Latvia spends on defense less than 1% of GDP per year. This is one of the lowest among NATO Nations. The obligations that the Republic has undertaken on its own shoulders, entering into the Alliance, provide for annual allocation to the defense Budget to 2% of GDP. Under the new concept, the defence Budget will reach this level in 5 years. The head of the budgetary-financial Commission of the Saeima Janis Reirs ( " Unity " ) said, " in fact, the financing Will be made from the growth of the budget, And by 2020 the budget of the defense shall be 2% of GDP. This Growth is bound to be, taking into consideration all our international Obligations. For the sake of defense means no one has taken away will not, but maybe there is a more slow development ".
The budget, as well as among them defense, will take a new government that comes to power after the October elections. It decides how much money to allocate for the defence." The principle is this: the defense must funds allocated not less than in the previous year, plus If you need more money, then look at the real projects, " explained rars.
the people's choice from the opposition Andrei Alksninis ( " the consent Center " ) believes that Latvia cannot afford to Fund the defense at the expense of other budget programs. We need a clear plan of where to find funds for defence. Today such a plan, According to him, no.
" The problem in this situation is different: where to find this amount, provided that It was not done at the expense of the budgets of other ministries. If, for example, the Minister of health recognizes that financing industry is only about 50% from necessary, where the defense Ministry will seek additional funds? The coalition cannot tell from whence it will take money, because she is the position in support of increasing the defense budget very population, it's wonderful confirms all of the early statements of politicians about events in Ukraine. Will this money More - well, the question of where the money they will take, " said Alksninis.
Deputy Chairman of the budgetary-financial Commission of the Seimas Ramuald Razuks (reform Party) stated that the increase of the military budget requires a new geopolitical situation in the world. The NATO security system, According to him, reoriented towards Eastern Europe.
" for the first time after the Second world war Russia by the annexation of the Crimea change borders of the existing States. And the whole security System is now being rebuilt. It is clear that from Western Europe, where the main forces of NATO, they will gradually relocate to Central And Eastern Europe. More - in the Baltic States. A huge change! The head of the United States announced that $ 1 billion is allocated for the strengthening of security in Eastern And Central Europe ". As explained Razuks, Latvia should also make a financial contribution to overall system security.
Military expert Karlis Kreslins (national Union VL-TRINKL) said that the money for the defense should be spent wisely. The main thing, in his vision, not the number of military And equipment, and the quality of resources. The diet plans to approve the law on the financing of defence even with the current composition of the Parliament.

recall that on ?da?i landfill 9 June were initiated international military Exercises Saber Strike 2014. In the current year these exercises are held at the same time with staff exercises of the Baltic Host 2014 And naval exercise Baltops 2014. Teaching Saber Strike 2014 will be held in the Baltic States And Germany to 20 June - profit military personnel from Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, the UK And the USA. This year maneuvers will become the largest in recorded history of their conduct, they will take part 4700 soldiers, as well as among them five hundred Latvian, and Will employ 800 units of military equipment.


sections: Politics