Baltic News Service
September 6, 2004

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER COMING TO LITHUANIA

VILNIUS, Sep 06

Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sargsian is coming to Lithuania this
week to meet his Lithuanian colleagues, discuss bilateral military
cooperation and learn about NATO’s air-policing functions in the
Baltic states.

Sargsian, who is coming to Vilnius on Tuesday evening, will meet
on Wednesday with President Valdas Adamkus, Defense Minister Linas
Linkevicius, Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis, members of the
parliament’s National Security and Defense Committee and chairman
Alvydas Sadeckas and Land Forces Commander Brigadier General Arvydas
Pocius.

The Lithuanian Defense Ministry said main items on the agenda of
the meeting between Linkevicius and Sargsian would be prospects
of regional cooperation, bilateral military ties, NATO enlargement
process and the course of armed forces reforms.

After the meeting, the two officials will sign a cooperation treaty
on studies of Armenian officers at the Lithuanian War Academy.
Analogous documents have already been signed with Georgian and
Azerbaijani ministries of defense.

On Thursday, Sargsian will go to the Lithuanian First Air Base
in Zokniai to meet with soldiers of the international contingent
performing the air-policing mission in the three Baltic states.

NATO forces have started patrolling the Lithuanian, Latvian and
Estonian air space since the Baltic states joined the alliance in the
end of March. Danish troops with five F-16 fighters are now guarding
the Baltic air space.

Lithuania and Armenia signed a defense cooperation treaty in 2002.

The Lithuanian Defense Ministry has taken the initiative to transfer
the Baltic defense cooperation experience to countries of the South
Caucasus region.

Lithuania also assists in the training of Armenian officers by offering
a possibility to study at Lithuanian military training institutions
and paying for studies of one Armenian officer at the Baltic Defense
College in the Estonian city Tartu.

Armenia has been a partner in the Partnership for Peace program
since 1994.