RUSSIAN DEFENSE CHIEF VISITS ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan and Satenik Vantsian in Gyumri
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 30 2007
Armenia’s leadership and Russia’s visiting Defense Minister Anatoly
Serdyukov pledged to step up the already close military cooperation
between their nations as they held talks in Yerevan on Tuesday.
Serdyukov’s one-day visit to Armenia involved separate meetings
with President Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and
Defense Minister Mikael Harutiunian as well as a visit to Russian
troops stationed in the country.
"The two sides discussed issues pertaining to military-technical
cooperation between the two countries, expressing their satisfaction
with the level and quality of their partnership in this sphere,"
Kocharian’s office said in a short statement.
According to the Armenian government’s press service, Serdyukov told
Sarkisian that his visit "will give new impetus" to the development
of Russian-Armenian military ties. Sarkisian was quoted as saying
that those ties "stem from our national interests" and that Yerevan
"will do everything to further deepen and develop them."
A separate statement by the Armenian Defense Ministry said Serdyukov
and Harutiunian approved a "plan of cooperation" between their
ministries for next year. They also discussed preparations for the
next Russian-Armenian military exercises to be held in 2008, the
statement said.
Serdyukov, accompanied by Harutiunian, visited the northern city of
Gyumri earlier in the day to inspect facilities of the Russian military
base stationed in the area close to the Armenian-Turkish border. "I
wanted to personally familiarize myself with how our servicemen live
here, what problems they face," he told reporters there. "Those are
primarily social and logistical."
"I think that we will draw certain conclusions after the trip and
take measures to improve the condition of the base," the Russian
minister said.
The Russian base has been reinforced in the last few years with
military hardware and other equipment that belonged to Russian troops
which are currently being pulled out of neighboring Georgia.