ARMENIAN, LATVIAN DEFENCE MINISTERS SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

Arminfo
7 Sep 05

Yerevan, 7 September: The Armenian and Latvian defence ministers, Serzh
Sarkisyan and Einars Repse, signed a military cooperation agreement
in Riga yesterday, the press service of the Armenian Defence Ministry
told Arminfo today.

Einars Repse said at the meeting that Latvia has doubled its attention
to the South Caucasus since it joined NATO and it is high time to
intensify military cooperation between Armenia and Latvia, the press
release said. Informing his opposite number about the pace of reforms
in Armenia’s defence sphere, Sarkisyan said that the Armenian armed
forces do not meet NATO and EU standards due to insufficient funding,
however, Armenia aims to achieve this.

He said that Armenia plans to completely reform its armed forces
by 2015, and therefore, Armenia is interested in cooperation with
Latvia as a country with great experience. The Armenian defence
minister expressed his wish to learn about the structure of the
Latvian Defence Ministry, its international experience and the sphere
of civil defence. The two defence ministers spoke out in favour of
intensifying political contacts between Armenia and Latvia in the
military sphere. Sarkisyan invited his counterpart to pay a return
visit to Armenia.