TO BE A SELF-SUFFICIENT MILITARY ENTITY

Lragir.am
11 Sept 2007

The militarization of the South Caucasus worries the Institute for
War and Peace Reporting which held a discussion on September 11. The
circumstance was emphasized that all the countries of the region are
boosting military expenditure. In addition, both the spending and
the boosting are transparent to the societies. Richard Giragosian,
a Washington-based analyst who also participated in the discussion,
said the boosting of military expenditure is not as worrying as the
way how this money is spent.

Richard Giragosian says after 9/11 the global processes changed,
which had an impact on our region as well: Georgia heads for NATO,
Azerbaijan’s strategic importance is growing gradually, boosting the
country’s military potential as well. However, the analyst thinks the
armies of Armenia and Karabakh are nevertheless the most effective
and often better organized than the Russian army.

In this connection, Richard Giragosian said Armenia’s worst mistake
is that it underestimates its strategic importance, and though Georgia
and Azerbaijan are acquiring greater financial possibilities, Armenia
with its blocked border is a more steady partner for the world.

Richard Giragosian thinks Armenia should not rely heavily on NATO or
the Collective Security Pact Organization regarding its security. He
even thinks that the CSPO is not the best option for Armenia,
considering some realities of our country’s security. He says he
would dislike the Armenian army to be a supplement of NATO or Russia.

Armenia must be a self-sufficient country in military terms, says
the analyst, noting that the restored production of ammunition is
very little for being self-sufficient.