ESTONIA, ARMENIA START DEFENSE COOPERATION

Baltic News Service
September 9, 2005

Estonian Defense Minister Jaak Joeruut and his Armenian counterpart
Serge Sargsyan signed a memorandum of understanding on defense
cooperation between the two countries in Tallinn on Friday.

The ministers spoke about possibilities for cooperation in defense
and developments regarding the NATO Individual Partnership Action
Plan (IPAP) for Armenia, spokespeople for the Estonian Defense
Ministry said.

Within the framework of the IPAP, Armenia is soon about to carry out
a reform of its defense forces. In this respect the country expects to
secure a development similar to that of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
and make its defense forces compatible with the standards of NATO
and the European Union, the Armenian minister said.

Sargsyan said Armenia values its participation in the NATO Partnership
for Peace program and the experience gained by participating in
multinational missions in Kosovo and Iraq.

“Estonia welcomes the completion of Armenia’s first IPAP and is
offering Armenia as a NATO partner its help and reform experience in
the implementation of the IPAP,” the Estonian defense minister said.

As part of his stay in Estonia, the Armenian minister of defense
visited the Baltic Defense College in the southern city of Tartu,
meeting with its chief, Lithuanian Brig. Gen. Algis Vaiceliunas.

“In Baltic Defense College we have an excellent example of very good
regional cooperation,” Sargsyan said.

Sargsyan also met in Estonia with the chairman of the parliamentary
national defense committee, Toivo Tootsen.

Armenia wishes to learn from Estonia’s experience, Sargsyan said,
underscoring that a long-time relationship in the former Soviet Union
helped Estonia and Armenia better understand each other.

The Armenian minister backed the Estonian stance that EU membership
talks with Turkey should start already this year.