Azerbaijan's parliament, the Milli Majlis, today passed the state budget for 2010 with 101 votes in favour and eight against.
Parliament speaker Ogtay Asadov said before the vote that the draft budget had been analysed by the relevant state agencies before being sent to parliament.
Finance Minister Samir Sharifov told deputies that his ministry had carefully studied the proposals and recommendations made by deputies during the budget debates. Amendments had been made to the state budget but without changes to the major areas of expenditure.
Total budget expenditure in 2010 remains 11.264bn Azerbaijani New Manats ($14.047bn) with revenue of AZN 10.015bn ($12.489bn).
The revised budget has slightly increased expenditure in some areas, Sharifov said. Expenditure on science will be AZN 3m ($3.741m), on the purchase of medicines and medical equipment AZN 4m ($498m), on the restoration of cultural monuments, cinema and other cultural events AZN 6.3m ($7.856m), and on the fabric of the Milli Majlis building and Foreign Ministry about AZN 1m ($1.247m).
(1 AZN is worth $1.24704.)