ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 2, 2007 Friday

USA doesn’t offer ABM radar station deployment in Armenia

YEREVAN, March 2

The United States has not offered Armenia to deploy missile defense
elements on its territory, Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir
Karapetian told Itar-Tass on Friday.

The ministry learned about the U.S. plans to open a radar station in
the Caucasus from the media, he said.

U.S. Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering said in
Brussels on Thursday that the missile defense system, some of whose
elements will be deployed in Europe, will include a mobile radar
station that may be positioned in a Caucasian country. In his words,
the radar station will provide initial targeting for a larger radar
station in the Czech Republic.

Armenia develops air defense cooperation with Russia and is a part of
the CIS unified air defense system. An aviation squad of the 102nd
Russian base was put on duty in Armenia in May 2001, and an
anti-aircraft regiment of the 102nd base joined the CIS unified air
defense system in October 2001.

Armenia attributes large significance to the CIS system, as it helps
to control the republican skies, said Defense Minister Serzh
Sargsyan. The Armenian air defense and air force and the 102nd
Russian base jointly protect the skies of Armenia, he said.

The Russian base has an S-300 anti-aircraft regiment that controls
the entire territory of Armenia, Russian Air Force Commander Gen.
Vladimir Mikhailov said.