US GOVT DONATES MOBILE HOSPITAL TO ARMENIA’S ARMY

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
February 5, 2007 Monday

The U.S. government has donated a 1.5 million U.S. dollar mobile
hospital to the Armenian army.

The hospital can be set up in any part of the world and will provide
medical assistance, including surgical, to Armenian army personnel,
a U.S. embassy official told Itar-Tass on Monday.

The United States organised weeklong training for 43 Armenian military
medics to teach them how to operate the hospital.

U.S. Charge d’Affaires Anthony Godfrey said the hospital would be
important for supporting Armenian army activities within coalition
or NATO forces or in emergencies.

The head of the U.S. embassy’s office for defence cooperation,
Lieutenant Colonel Dough Peterson said the donation of the hospital
marked the start of serious military medical cooperation between the
Armed Forces of the United States and Armenia.

Armenian military medical personnel will be trained and new equipment
will be bought for the mobile hospital. It will be supplied at the
end of this year or the beginning of the next one.

The office for defence cooperation is accountable to the American
ambassador and the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany,
and deals with U.S. government defence assistance.