Golos Armenii, Yerevan,
27 Jan 2007
Armenian army strongest in region – military aide
The Armenian army is well-trained and well-equipped, a top military
aide to the Armenian president has said. Col-Gen Gurgen Dalibaltayan,
the chief inspector of the Armenian army, said that according to
international experts, the Armenian army is the strongest one in the
South Caucasus region. He also said that while some of the service
personnel serve on a contract basis in the army, the Armenian army
will not become a fully professional one in the near future, The
following is an excerpt from Zara Gevorgyan’s report by the Armenian
newspaper Golos Armenii on 27 January headlined "We were waging a
liberation war and at the same time, setting up an army in the home
front":
The adviser to the Armenian president and the chief military
inspector of the Republic of Armenia, Col-Gen Gurgen Dalibaltayan,
has answered questions put by a Golos Armenii correspondent.
[Correspondent] Gurgen Harutyunovich, the Armenian army will
celebrate its 15th anniversary on 28 January. Let’s recall how
everything started and how the Armenian army formed, grew and
strengthened out of several militia detachments.
[Dalibaltayan] In May 1991, the Armenian government set up a defence
committee that started putting together detachments of volunteers and
planned, directed and organized the range and zone of their
activities.
…
[Correspondent] We often proudly say that the Armenian army is the
strongest and most organized one in the region.
[Dalibaltayan] This is what international experts say, who, when
comparing the armed forces of the South Caucasus countries, have
always put the Armenian army in the first place. Recently, a Western
military specialist said that there are "armed forces in Georgia and
Azerbaijan, and an army in Armenia". What is the difference? If you
give weapons to any grouping it will sooner or later become "an armed
force", while a classic army is a far deeper and complete notion.
[Correspondent] So, we proudly say that our army is the strongest in
the region. However, time goes on. Foreigners invest a lot of money
in the Georgian army; Azerbaijan’s army expenses grow constantly.
Should I continue my question?
[Dalibaltayan] No, it is clear. The Americans have assumed the
patronage of the Georgian army and train it in the NATO style.
However, that type of an army is not too strong, and the sense of
patriotism (the most important thing) is far weaker compared to the
army that is established in its own homeland and rests on the
experience of generations and the strength of its soil. Today
Azerbaijan is able to spend a lot of money on its military, but
having top military hardware does not mean having a top army. We
spend less, but the money is strictly directed (for the needs of
troops, weapons and replacement of obsolete weapons with new ones)
without wasting money on secondary goals. Armenia really has an army
the military might of which is the key condition for peace.
[Correspondent] Do we have domestic weaponry manufactured here in
Armenia?
[Dalibaltayan] Armenia has appropriate factories. We, however, buy
weapons from Russia because it is cheaper to do so. It is more
expensive to manufacture them here than import them. However, we can
always manufacture rifles, mortars; to cut it short, everything but
heavy hardware. There is nothing to worry about in that respect; we
can have everything we need. By the way, there are also repair
facilities in Armenia, which are constantly modernized. Military
hardware is constantly modernized in those facilities in accordance
with new modern technologies.
[Correspondent] Is Armenia going to manufacture hardware in the
future?
[Dalibaltayan] It is envisaged in the plan of mobilization training.
[Correspondent] I know that the service personnel of some units will
serve as contractors. Tell me more about it.
[Dalibaltayan] It is true. These will be people who have served in
the army and transferred into reserve. They will continue working as
contractors. Therefore, as you understand, we are not increasing the
personnel. Those units currently serve on our state borders, while
the young serve inside Armenian territory. However, it is very
difficult to implement that system completely. The Americans made
their army professional only after the Vietnam War. And that country
is very rich. That kind of a change for an army is a very expensive
process, which we cannot afford at this stage. However, it is worth
it because having a professional army is better in the long run. This
is, however, in the future. At this stage, it is better for us to
accumulate mobilization resources.
