SOLEMN OPENING OF COMBINED ENDEAVOUR – 2007 EXERCISES TAKES PLACE IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Apr 27 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The solemn opening ceremony of
Combined Endeavour – 2007 exercises took place on April 27 at Marshal
A. Khamperiants Aviation Institute. The goal of the exercises held
within the framework of Partnership for Peace program is to test,
to indentify and to motivate by documents cooperation of united
multi-national strategic and tractical communication systems.

In the words of RA Defence Minister Mikayel Haroutiunian, holding of
such exercises is the evidence of high level of cooperation between
Armenian Defence Ministry and U.S. European Command. A number of
exercises have been held in Armenia since 2000 within the framework of
Partnership for Peace NATO program by U.S. European Command. There is
an agreement about holding new combined exercises in 2008 in Armenia.

The Minister said that the Combined Endeavour exercises held for
aready 15 years in the German city of Baumholder are held in another
country for the first time. Armenia has been taking part in these
exercises for five years and Armenian signallers have always been
highly estimated and praised. This year over 130 representatives
from Croatia, France, Russia, Georgia, U.S. and Armenia take part in
the exercises. The participants from Ukraine have not arrived due to
country’s domestic problems.

Charge d’Affaires of U.S. Anthony Godfrey said that the Partnership
for Peace program was created by NATO in 1994 for cooperating with
the countries, which enter into the stage of democracy. Starting
that period hundreds of exercises have been held in Armenia,
which contributed to establishment of close relations among their
participant-countries. Taking into consideration the success of
Partnership for Peace program, the U.S. government decided to sponsor
holding of a number of exercises every year within the framework of
the program, one of which is the Combined Endeavour. The goal of the
exercises is to make more efficient the possibility of communication
among armed forces of participant-countries.