SOUTH CAUCASUS REGION’S SECURITY IMPORTANT TO LITHUANIA, WHOLE INTL COMMUNITY – PRESIDENT

Baltic News Service
June 15, 2006 Thursday 3:06 PM EET

During a meeting with Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan,
currently on a visit to Vilnius, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus
noted that South Caucasus region’s security was very important to
Lithuania and the whole international community.

According to a press release from the Lithuanian president’s
press service, Adamkus expressed hope that this year would give new
possibilities to solve the problem of Mountain Karabakh. The president
assured that this issue would receive sufficient attention from the
international community.

Clashes between Azerbaijanis and ethnic Armenians in Mountain Karabakh,
which then belonged to Azerbaijan SSR, started in 1988. The conflict
escalated in around 1992 and grew into a real war between Azerbaijan
and Armenia, which had already become independent republics. The
war claimed some 35,000 lives. Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis
became refugees.

Mountain Karabakh is currently controlled by Armenians, and there is
only a fragile truce between the two sides in the conflict.

Mountain Karabakh is a region of strategic importance. The main gas
pipeline linking oil fields in the Caspian Sea with global markets
is several kilometers from the conflict zone.

During his two-day visit to Lithuania, Sargsyan will also meet
with acting Defense Minister Gediminas Kirkilas to discuss Armenia’s
relations with NATO, the course of Armed Forces reforms, participation
in international operations, prospects of bilateral and regional
cooperation.

Later on Thursday, the Armenian defense minister will visit the
Lithuanian parliament to meet with members of the National Security
and Defense Committee.

On Friday, Sargsyan is planned to visit the Grand Duchess Birute
Motorized Infantry Battalion in Alytus, where Armenian officers have
been interning since 2005.

Lithuania has been cooperating with Armenia in the field of defense
since 2002. Lithuania finances Armenian officers’ studies at the
Lithuanian Military Academy and the Baltic Defense College. In early
March this year, Lithuania accredited its first defense attache to
Armenia, Lieutenant Colonel Albertas Charzevskis.

Sargsyan has been heading the Armenian Defense Ministry since 2000.

He also held the office of defense minister in 1993-1995, later worked
as interior minister and national security minister, held other high
positions in the country’s security structures.

This is his third visit to Lithuania. He already visited the Baltic
state in 2002 and 2004.

Irakli Okruashvili, the defense minister of another South Caucasus
country, Georgia, visited Lithuania earlier this week.