TWO FORMER DEPUTY MINISTERS OF DEFENCE DO NOT REACH AGREEMENT ON CERTAIN ISSUES OF MILITARY DOCTRINE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 21, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia should choose the version
of the army on contractual bases. This opinion was expressed by Vahan
Shirkhanian, the RA former Deputy Minister of Defence, during the
discussion on the draft military doctrine of Armenia, which was held on
December 20. He based his point of view with regard to the discussion
initiated by the Union of Experts Consultation Non-Governmental
Organization with the fact that the military resources of Armenia
have sharply decreased not only on account of the decrease in the
number of births, but also of emigration and increase in diseases
among people of recruiting age. As a proof for the decrease in the
number of births, he mentioned that if 39 500 boys were born in 1985,
in 2001 that number made 16 000, according to him, in 2020 Armenia
will have thrice less military resource.

According to him, army is the main pledge of the existence of
the country as the war has not finished, the Armenian diplomacy
with regard to the Nagorno Karabakh regulation has failed: the
international community recognied Armenia as an aggressor country,
there is a permanent threat from Azerbaijan and Turkey.

In the opinion of Arthur Aghabekian, at present the Chairman of the RA
NA Committee for Defence, Domestic Affairs and National Security and
the RA former Deputy Minister of Defence, the inadmissible version
for Armenia is to have an army with the synthesis of professional,
contractual and obligatory military service. According to him, the
person representing the governing political force should be headed
by the Ministry of Defence. He expressed hope that the President of
the Republic of Armenia will ratify the draft military doctrine by
the end of the year and the draft amendments to the law on "Defence"
or a new draft law will be approved in the National Assembly until
the middle of the next year.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress