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US Hails Armenia'S Military Contribution To NATO Peacekeeping Operat

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  • US Hails Armenia'S Military Contribution To NATO Peacekeeping Operat

    US HAILS ARMENIA'S MILITARY CONTRIBUTION TO NATO PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
    BYLINE: Lilit Gevorgyan

    Global Insight
    June 28, 2011

    On 27 June, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia,
    Eurasia and Ukraine, Celeste Wallander, met with Armenian Defence
    Minister Seiran Oganian during her visit to the South Caucasian
    country. She highlighted the importance that the US administration
    and other NATO members attach to Armenia's contribution to the
    military bloc's peacekeeping operations. She particularly hailed
    the Armenian National Assembly's decision on 11 May to increase the
    number of Armenian troops serving in Afghanistan from 45 to 130 and
    extend the length of their mission until 2012. The soldiers will
    serve with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
    and will co-operate closely with the German contingent.

    Part of their mission will be guarding the airport in northern Afghan
    city of Kunduz, which has been under German command since January
    2010. The Armenian military will also train local Afghan security
    forces to prepare them for transfer of power. During her talks with
    her Armenian counterparts, Wallander promised continued US support in
    implementation of Armenia's military reforms, as well as in the review
    process of Armenia's Defence Strategy. The parties also discussed
    the most pressing security issue that Armenia currently faces, the
    ongoing low-intensity conflict over Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated
    and self-declared republic Nagorno-Karabakh. Oganian urged the US to
    exercise pressure on Azerbaijan to pursue peaceful solution of the
    conflict and also maintain the 1994 tripartite ceasefire.

    Significance:Armenia's commitment to increasing its co-operation
    with NATO in the anti-Taliban mission in Afghanistan is particularly
    valuable for the military bloc as it comes at a time when most Western
    countries, including the US, are considering scaling back the mission.

    This is mostly due to domestic popular pressure, especially after
    the elimination of the leader of the Taliban, Osama Bin Laden. The
    Armenian government's increased commitment to the NATO mission
    contrasts with its close military links with Russia, which still
    maintains its military base in the country. Despite the need for
    qualified troops along the Line of Contact with Azerbaijan, the
    Armenian population in general supports the anti-Taliban campaign.

    During the 1988-1994 Nagorno-Karabakh war, which claimed 30,000
    lives on both sides, Armenian troops captured Taliban members
    fighting for Azerbaijan. For many military personnel--and indeed the
    wider public--the Taliban threat has implications for the regional
    conflict, hence the popular support for the mission. Furthermore,
    working with NATO troops is an opportunity to gain military training
    and understanding of operational procedures under NATO, with which
    Armenia co-operates under the Partnership for Peace framework.

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