PressZoom (press release), Netherlands
Feb 8 2007
Defense Reform Conference in Armenia
Armenian officials today wrapped up a three-day seminar here that saw
them successfully draw on the experience of a network of experts from
other nations and organizations to help plan the nation’s on-going
defense reforms.
(PressZoom) – Yerevan, Armenia, 8 February, 2007 — Armenian
officials today wrapped up a three-day seminar here that saw them
successfully draw on the experience of a network of experts from
other nations and organizations to help plan the nation’s on-going
defense reforms.
The seminar was organized by the Armenian Ministry of Defense and the
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, a
German-American partnership, at the request of the U.S. European
Command’s Office of Defense Cooperation in Yerevan. More than 40
Armenian experts from various ministries, agencies and the National
Assembly were joined by representatives from eight other nations,
including representatives from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania,
Germany and the United States. NATO and the Geneva Centre for
Democratic Control of Armed Forces also sent experts to help the
Armenians plan the civilianization of their Ministry of Defense and
the reform of its military personnel management system.
"The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia has initiated
defense reforms, the main objective of which is modernization of the
Armenian defense system, increasing its efficiency," said Deputy
Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Artur Aghabekyan during his
keynote address.
"Such seminars and conferences ( as this ) are necessary to study the
international experience to get consultations to correctly guide the
reforms."
Aghabekyan noted the seminar is only one part of a wider plan.
"In order to organize the reforms process more effectively, the
leadership of the Ministry of Defense looks to cooperate with all of
our allies and partners, including the Armenia Individual Partnership
Action Plan."
The Individual Partnership Action Plan is an agreement Armenia signed
with NATO in December 2005. Armenian officials said the nation has no
plans to join NATO, but is using the IPAP process as a guide toward
modernizing the nation’s defense system. Many of the representatives
from other nations were present to discuss their nations’ IPAP
experiences.
That process is just one part of Armenia’s remarkable reform efforts,
according to U.S. Charge d’Affaires Anthony F. Godfrey.
"I’d like to say just how far Armenia has come on its path toward
defense reform in the past few years. The changes have been
remarkable.
"Beginning with a defense assessment, agreeing to an IPAP, moving
forward on very key defense reforms, engaging the international
community and participating in peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and
most recently in Iraq, these are contributions to international
security, making Armenia a net contributor to international security
rather than a consumer of international security," Godfrey noted.
"This is a big change and we welcome this very much. So we continue
to support Armenia’s goal of transforming its military," he added.
Marshall Center Professor Marine Colonel James R. Howcroft moderated
the seminar, which featured large group presentations by experts
followed by working groups that focused on drawing up workable
recommendations.
"This event was an exciting opportunity for the Marshall Center to
help the Ministry of Defense meet its government’s goal to transform
its armed forces personnel system from a Soviet-era model into one
more in line with the norms of a Western democratic society,"
Howcroft said.
"The working groups, which included a number of Marshall Center
alumni, were composed of serious professionals who provided a number
of concrete and realistic proposals for the Ministry of Defense
regarding the division of responsibilities between the ministry and
the General Staff, the filling of certain positions with civilian
personnel and the development of a civilian personnel career
management system."
Center alumni figured prominently in the seminar, he said.
"We were able to draw upon the network of Marshall Center alumni from
Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia and Lithuania as well as experts from the
USA, Germany and Estonia to share our experience and lessons learned
for consideration by our Armenian colleagues, " Howcroft said.
The Marshall Center and Armenia’s other allies can help the nation
determine its course, but it’s up to the people and their government
to determine what is best for the nation, said Marshall Center Deputy
Director Major General ( retired ) Dr. Horst Schmalfeld.
"As the I in IPAP indicates, it’s an individual partnership action
plan planned out by Armenia. Armenia has embarked on an open effort
to strengthen democratic institutions. Open means transparent to
other institutions, like NATO, which opens a way for assistance and
support. But it is Armenia’s plan and so I leave it to you, the
participants of this seminar and your colleagues, to find the best
way for Armenia."
That effort is already underway, thanks in part to this week’s
seminar, Aghabekyan noted.
"This seminar opened a lot of doors. It’s seminars like this that
achieve things that a single ministry would not be able to achieve
alone, and ( it ) is finishing at such a point and in such a way that
it will ensure continuity. We have a good team already established
and this team is going to be the driving force behind the reforms,"
he noted.
Aghabekyan said that team was helped by the visiting experts. As the
deputy minister of defense and his team face a phased reform process
already planned out to 2015 and beyond, however, he said the biggest
contribution those experts made won’t be the particulars of their
experiences.
"I assure you, it’s not the experience that is most valuable. It’s
important for our military personnel to know that it was not easy to
do this in other countries. Those other countries also have
experienced difficulties. They needed reforms, they needed to push
reforms and they need to continue reforms.
"This evolution that took place in Eastern Europe, in Baltic
countries, this evolution is going to be the biggest driving force
that is going to produce a positive effect on the mindset of the
officers who are going to implement what we heard during the seminar,
Aghabekyan said.
Detailing the implementation of the plans drawn up during this week’s
seminar will be the subject of another conference set for four months
from now.
Marshall Center Public Affairs Office
Phone: 049-8821-730-3590
[email protected]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
