Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
Aug 28 2004
Armenia, Russia Wrap Up Annual War Games
By Gevorg Stamboltsian
Armenian and Russian troops practiced defensive and counter-offensive
operations against an imaginary common enemy on Friday, ending four
days of joint military exercises at a training ground 40 kilometers
west of Yerevan.
Hundreds of soldiers backed by warplanes and helicopter gunships
fired live rounds from assault rifles, artillery pieces and tanks as
they fought back a simulated invasion of Armenia from the north. The
heavy fire from elements of the Armenian Armed Forces and the Russian
military
base stationed in the country lasted for about 90 minutes and marked
the final episode of the war games described as a success by the
organizers.
`The military exercises have taken place in a coordinated manner and
have served their purpose,’ Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian, clad in
a military uniform, declared afterward. `No incidents have been
registered and the detachments participating in the exercises have
fully achieved their objectives.’
The official purpose of the annual exercises was to improve the
interoperability of troops from the two countries bound by a military
alliance. The Armenian army’s chief of staff, Colonel-General Mikael
Harutiunian, has said they are not directed against any third
country. However, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry has reportedly
expressed concern about the maneuvers, saying that they are at odds
with Russia’s role as a mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Speaking to journalists, Sarkisian indicated that official Yerevan is
not worried about a possible deployment of U.S. troops in Azerbaijan
as a result of Washington’s national security priorities. `Maybe
Russia has a different opinion, but in our view this is the United
States’ and Azerbaijan’s business,’ he said. `We can’t tell
Azerbaijan not to host one or another base on their territory, can
we?’
Sarkisian also reaffirmed the Armenian government’s intention to send
a small contingent of non-combat military personnel to Iraq where the
U.S.-led multinational occupation force has been struggling to
maintain law and order. He said the government is awaiting the
parliament’s approval for the dispatch of Armenian military doctors,
demining experts and truck drivers.