NATO WAR GAMES TO TAKE PLACE IN ARMENIA IN SEPT – MINISTRY

Interfax News Agency
May 14 2008
Russia

An official opening of a NATO military exercise will take place in
Armenia on September 15, 2008, deputy chief of the Armenian General
Staff Maj. Gen. Arshaluis Paitian told journalists on Wednesday.

A conference on planning this exercise began in Yerevan on
Wednesday. The conference brings together 110 servicemen, including
37 of them from NATO, while 63 of them are representatives of 21
countries that showed readiness to take part in the exercise.

"An exercise of such a scale will take place in our region for the
fist time. It is a great honor for us. We should prepare decently for
the exercise. It will consist of two stages, a command post exercise
with the participation of over 300 officers and a field exercise with
the participation of about 300 people," Paitian said.

Chief of the Armenian General Staff Col. Gen. Yury Khachaturov
is taking part in a meeting of chiefs of general staffs of NATO
members and NATO partners at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels
on Wednesday.

"Khachaturov will take part in a general meeting of the Euroatlantic
Partnership Council’s Military Council," spokesman for Armenian
Defense Ministry Seiran Shakhsuavarian told Interfax.