Armenia rotates peacekeepers in Iraq – agency
Noyan Tapan news agency
25 Jul 06
Yerevan, 25 July: The fourth batch of Armenian peacekeepers left
Yerevan for Iraq on 23 July. As was the case during the previous
rotation, among 46 servicemen there are doctors, mine experts and
drivers.
Only 10 per cent of the group took part in peacekeeping operations
in Iraq earlier, the commander of the Armenian contingent, Vasak
Avetisyan, told a Noyan Tapan correspondent. There are servicemen
who have been to Kosovo, however for the larger majority, like him,
this is the first visit to Iraq.
The fourth batch of Armenian peacekeepers, as happened previously, will
stay in Iraq for six months. The previous group will return five days
after the arrival of the new group. They will pass on to the newcomers
their experience and information about their responsibilities.
Armenian Deputy Defence Minister Artur Agabekyan said that Armenian
peacekeepers would stay in Kosovo for another year. But the mission
of Armenian peacekeepers in Iraq would be longer. At the end of 2006
the Defence Ministry will appeal to the National Assembly to extend
the peacekeeping mission in Iraq for another year, Agabekyan said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
