RUSSIA ASSURES ARMENIANS AGAINST TURKEY
By Foreign News Desk, Istanbul

Zaman Online, Turkey
March 9 2006

Armenia trusts the military cooperation with Russia against any
threats that might come from Turkey.

A report titled “Armenian National Security Strategy Tendencies,”
prepared by the National Security Council under Armenian Defense
Minister Serzh Sarkisyan, has defended that Russian units stationed in
Armenia, with the help of Armenian-Russian cooperation, will paralyze
any possible Turkish threats.

According to the news published on “Panarmenian.com” website, the
report details the development of a strategic cooperation between
Russia and Armenia in fields such as the “involvement in coalition
groups, common air defense system and collaboration in the Security
Collaboration Organization, including some former Soviet countries”.

Pointing at the importance of Russian and Armenian relations within
the multinational structure, the report indicates the air defense
system as an example.

Cooperation with both NATO and Russia

Serzh Sarkisyan, in his speech to Russian reporters on Wednesday in
the Armenian capital Yerevan, highlighted the news reported in the
Russian press claiming that Armenia aims at achieving North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) standards in the army.

Their target is to attain world standards for the Armenian army by
2015, Sarkisyan said; Armenia has never concealed their relations with
NATO from Russia, or the military cooperation with Russia from NATO.

He also advocated that their military cooperation with NATO favors
the cooperation between Armenia and Russia. “We do not want war;
however, if required, we are ready to fight,” the Armenian defense
minister declared.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress