Baltic News Service
June 10, 2005

ESTONIA, ARMENIA TO CONCLUDE DEFENSE COOPERATION ACCORD

TALLINN, Jun 10

Estonia and Armenia will this fall sign a framework agreement on
bilateral defense cooperation, officials say.

The agreement is planned to be signed in the course of a visit by
Armenia’s defense minister to Estonia, which may take place in
September, spokespeople for the Estonian Defense Ministry told BNS.

Similar agreements, which Estonia has concluded with 28 countries by
now, lay the groundwork for cooperation in areas that are of interest
for both sides and in the future enable the parties to draw up annual
plans of bilateral cooperation.

The plan to conclude the framework agreement was approved by the
Armenian government on Thursday, Russia’s Regnum agency reported.

Estonia is the presiding country of the roundtable for South Caucasus
this year and it intends to establish bilateral contacts in defense
also with Georgia and Azerbaijan.

The Estonian Ministry of Defense made a proposal to the defense
ministries of the two latter countries this spring to conclude
framework agreements on bilateral defense cooperation.

Meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Estonian Defense Minister Jaak
Joeruut and his Georgian counterpart Irakli Okruashvili decided to
start drawing up an annual plan for defense cooperation in the near
future.