ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN COOPERATION AT HIGHEST LEVEL, RA DM STATES

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 19 2006

Yerevan, April 19. /ARKA/. The level of Armenian-Russia cooperation is
most high and covers a wide range of issues, RA Minister of Defense
Serge Sargsyan stated in his interview to the “Krasnaya Zvezda”
(Red Star) newspaper.

“Of course, we must by no means stop at what we have achieved. On
the contrary, we should constantly develop these relations. All the
more so that we have not only necessary legal and historical basis,
but also wish for this,” the Minister said.

He pointed out that RF Minister of Defense Sergey Ivanov paid a
visit to Armenia in January, and the sides discussed prospects of
Armenian-Russian relations, which are rather high.

Sargsyan stressed that the Armenia-NATO relations are by no means
developing at the expense of Armenian-Russian cooperation, which can
only be expanded in all directions.

“We realize the need to be acquainted with the experience of
development of other countries’ armed forces,” Sargsyan said.

He pointed out that a special role in the Armenian-Russian relations
is assigned to Russian military base #102. Sargsyan did not rule out
the possibility of training courses for students of Russian military
schools in Armenia’s mountain grounds.

“Why not. We will receive them with pleasure if the Russian side
asks for this. Cooperation cannot be unilateral, can it? Hundreds
of Armenian servicemen, including officers and generals, receive
education in the higher schools of the RF Ministry of Defense every
year,” Sargsyan said.