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DM Sarkisyan: our relations are 1,000 years old

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  • DM Sarkisyan: our relations are 1,000 years old

    Agency WPS
    DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
    April 21, 2006 Friday

    DEFENSE MINISTER SERZH SARKISJAN: OUR RELATIONS ARE 1,000 YEARS OLD

    by Aleksei Ventslovsky

    An interview with Defense Minister of Armenia Serzh Sarkisjan.


    Question: Successful development of military and military-technical
    cooperation between our countries is common knowledge. Could you
    please say a few words on the subject?

    Serzh Sarkisjan: I'd like to emphasize that the level of relations
    between us is fairly high. This cooperation encompasses a broad
    spectrum of issues. My Russian colleague Sergei Ivanov visited us in
    January. We discussed prospects of the Armenian-Russian relations
    that are viewed in both countries as extremely promising.

    The 102nd Russian Military Base established in Armenia on our
    suggestion is playing a special part in the relations.

    Question: Where development of contacts between the national armies
    is concerned... Do you think trainees from Russian military colleges
    may ever come to Armenia for field training at mountainous testing
    sites and shooting ranges of the Armenian Defense Ministry?

    Serzh Sarkisjan: Why not? Russia only has to ask, and we will be glad
    to receive them here. Hundreds of Armenian servicemen including
    officers and generals are trained in Russia and this sort of
    cooperation is like a two-way street, you know.

    Question: The Armenian national army is being reorganized. What are
    these reforms about? What problems does the Defense Ministry
    encounter?

    Serzh Sarkisjan: The Armenian Armed Forces consist of motorized
    infantry and Air Force now. We do not have branches or high commands
    as such. There is only one headquarters running all of the Armed
    Forces that comprise five corps formations, artillery unit, and
    antiaircraft defense brigades. All in all, 45,000 men or so. All of
    the population of Armenia amounts to 3 million only, and the army we
    have is somewhat larger than we would prefer. In the meantime, we are
    compelled to keep an army of this size because of the lack of
    stability in the southern part of the Caucasus and because of
    conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. Generally speaking,
    our Armed Forces have a lot of problems - just like armies of other
    countries I presume.

    We've set the task to have an army by 2015, that will meet world
    standards. I'd like to emphasize that because Russian media outlets
    report every now and then that Armenia is after an army by NATO
    standards. Not NATO, world standards.

    Question: What effect may escalation of conflicts in Abkhazia and
    South Ossetia have on the situation in Armenia?

    Serzh Sarkisjan: The southern part of the Caucasus is actually a
    small region where every country depends on everyone else. The
    hostilities will create extremely negative consequences, and Armenia
    cannot hope to remain unaffected by them. Armenia does not need any
    instability in Georgia because this country is our only connection to
    the world. Besides, the hostilities may tempt other countries to
    meddle in the conflict.

    Question: Reports in the Russian media indicate that a peacekeeping
    operation for Nagorno-Karabakh under the OSCE is being charted in
    Brussels. Your Russian opposite number Ivanov also said once that
    Russian peacekeepers could be deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh, in
    theory...

    Serzh Sarkisjan: I doubt that someone is really working on a
    peacekeeping operation. The warring sides' consent is needed for it
    or at least some contours of the future accord. It will become a
    possibility only when the sides in the conflict reached an agreement.
    That's when peacekeepers may come in handy. Unfortunately, we do not
    have an agreement with Azerbaijan. Peacekeepers are not on the agenda
    therefore.

    Question: And what is the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh nowadays?

    Serzh Sarkisjan: The matter is constantly brought up in Azerbaijan in
    attempts to solve other domestic problems in this manner. You
    probably know that the president of Azerbaijan and his defense
    minister regularly say that a military solution will be forced on
    Baku unless Armenia accepted their terms. Azerbaijan doubled its
    military budget. The president of Azerbaijan said he had boosted it
    to $1 billion not long ago. That smacks of blackmail, if you ask me.

    We do not want a war but we are not frightened by its prospect. An
    end was put to hostilities in 1994, with Russia's help. Our troops
    have an advantage nowadays. We've fortified the positions this last
    12 years. Not even billions of dollars will help Azerbaijan.

    Source: Krasnaya Zvezda, April 19, 2006, p. 1

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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