ARMENIAN NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY: METHODS OF FORMULATION
by Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarjan, Press Attache of the Defense Ministry of Armenia
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Source: Novye Vremya (Yerevan), November 9, 2006, EV
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 15, 2006 Wednesday

ARMENIA IS ABOUT TO COMPLETE WORK ON THE NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY;
An interview with Major General Gaik Kotandjan.

Interdepartmental Commission for the National Security Strategy had
the draft document examined in the leading professional centers
of Washington, Moscow, and Brussels. Colonel Shahsuvarjan of the
republican Defense Ministry met with Commission Secretary Major
General Gaik Kotandjan who graciously agreed to answer some questions
concerning the methods of formulation of the document.

Project leader Kotandjan, advisor to the Defense Minister of the
Republic of Armenia, studied at the leading scientific centers of
Russia, United States, and West Europe. Kotandjan is a specialist
in the sphere of political science of national security whose
authority is recognized by the Russian Academy of Management, Center
of International Relations Studies of the Diplomatic Academy of the
Russian Foreign Ministry, and Department of Military and Political
Sciences of the Military Academy of the Russian General Staff.

Kotandjan teaches counter-terrorism at the National Security School of
the US University of National Defense. He finished the senior officer
training courses of the G. Marshall European Center of Security and
RAND Defense and Security Analysis Program (United States).

Question: Could you please explain exactly how the strategy was
formulated?

Gaik Kotandjan: The Defense Ministry of Armenia has been working
on it since 1992, since inception of the Armed Forces of independent
Armenia. I’d like to make an emphasis on close contacts and cooperation
in the course of the work with progressive experts who studied the
strategy of transition processes in the post-perestroika democratic
Russia. We appreciate help from our colleagues from the Center of
International Relations Studies of the Diplomatic Academy of the
Russian Foreign Ministry and Russian Academy of Management who stayed
in touch with colleagues from the Harvard and Yale specializing
in political sciences of transition periods. Their cooperation was
extremely beneficial. As a matter of fact, also helpful were contacts
with experts from the Russian Foundation of National and International
Security and Russian Academy of Military Sciences.

Revision of "Fundamentals of military policy of the Republic of
Armenia: military-political aspect of national security," a guiding
document of the Defense Ministry, began in 2000, when Serj Sarkisjan
became defense minister again.

Knowing the methods used in composition of the Russian national
strategy concept, Sarkisjan decided to push back the horizons of
theoretic knowledge of our Defense Ministry in the sphere of national
security through an appeal to the leading research centers of the
United States and Europe. A specialist of the Armenian Defense
Ministry was dispatched to study programs of the US University of
National Defense, RAND Corporation, and Marshall Center ("Formulation
of National Security Strategy", "New Techniques of Defense and Security
Analysis in the 21st Century", and "Asymmetric Threats in the National
Security Framework"). Aware of the changes taking place around Armenia,
our specialists also mastered the "Strategy of NATO Transformation
in International Security Framework" NATO Staff Officer Program.

Question: Does it mean that the Armenian document is a carbon copy
of the American or Russian original?

Gaik Kotandjan: Armenian military-political leadership is aware of
the difficulties a certain Central European country encountered when
it all but copied the American document. We know for a fact that some
post-Soviet countries contracted foreign specialists to draft their
national security concepts. They merely had the documents translated
into national languages and went through the motions of having their
own specialists involved in the process.

We know better than that. We drafted the document ourselves, just
using experience and expertise of the best professional schools of
Russia and the West.

Question: Is there anything unique that distinguishes the end product
perhaps?

Gaik Kotandjan: From the standpoint of content, the strategy stipulates
a multifold balance of security bearing points and transformation of
society through democratization and integration into the international
community. There is one other distinctive feature. The Commission was
working on two mutually complementary documents at once: the National
Security Strategy itself and a package of departmental programs that
will see to its implementation.

Question: There were reports that the draft document would be submitted
to the leading centers abroad to get their opinion…

Gaik Kotandjan: US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Russian
Secretary of the Security Council Igor Ivanov, and NATO leaders
responded to Commission Chairman Sarkisjan’s request and studied
the document.

Question: What will you do now to promote the National Security
Strategy?

Gaik Kotandjan: Enlarged meetings of the Science Councils of the
Yerevan State University and presidium of the Armenian Academy of
Sciences will discuss the document in November. Experts from scientific
circles and non-governmental organizations will also be invited.

The document is to be discussed by parliament at an open meeting in
November, as well. Once that is done, the Interdepartmental Commission
will forward the document to the government.