Armenia keen on developing military ties with Lithuania, Lebanon

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
15 Mar 05

[Presenter] Lithuania will train military specialists for Armenia.

The agreement on training the Armenian servicemen in the Military
Academy of Lithuania signed by the Armenian and Lithuanian Defence
Ministries today was recognized as complying with the Armenian
Constitution. An appropriate decision was made by the Armenian
Constitutional Court today.

Presenting the document, Armenian Deputy Defence Minister Lt-Gen Artur
Agabekyan said that Armenia had assumed a number of commitments within
the NATO’s Partnership for Peace Programme. Trained specialists are
necessary to meet them.

[Agabekyan, captioned] The Armenian-Lithuanian agreement has already
yielded results. Some Armenian servicemen have already been trained at
the Lithuanian Baltic Defence College. Another serviceman is involved
in the Armenian peace-keeping mission in Iraq at the moment.

[Presenter] Armenian sappers are ready to leave for Lebanon on the
defence minister’s orders, Agabekyan said commenting on the request by
the Lebanese ambassador to Armenia to send a group of sappers to
Lebanon. The ambassador made this request at a meeting with Armenian
Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan.

[Agabekyan] The Armenian centre for training sappers meets
international standards. It has all the necessary facilities and
dogs. Armenian sappers have successfully unearthed mines in Armenia’s
regions of Tavush and Syunik. They are involved in the peace-keeping
mission in Iraq at present.