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ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER SEES NORTH CAUCASUS CONFLICT AS THREAT TO SOUTH CAUCASUS
Baltic News Service
September 8, 2004
VILNIUS, Sep 08 -- Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sargsian, currently
on a visit in Lithuania, says that the situation in the South Caucasus
region may aggravate due to conflicts in North Caucasus.
"There are a lot of conflicts in South Caucasus as well. Maybe, at
first sight, there is stability, but people living there see that
there are threats to security," Sargsian said after a meeting with
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus on Wednesday.
There is only a fragile truce between Armenian and Azerbaijani armies
at the front line in Mountain Karabach, the situation at Gerogia's
border with Abkhasia and South Ossetia.
"Other conflicts might make them detonate. Of course there is a
threat," the Armenian minister said in Vilnius.
At least 340 hostages including many children were killed in the
terrorist hostage drama in the North Ossetian town of Beslan last
week, which left hundreds injured. About 1,180 adults and children
were held hostage for more than two days in the school.
Sargsian stressed that terrorism had no borders and terrorists did
not choose means any longer.
The Armenian defense minister told journalists that Lithuania-proposed
experience in stabilization of situation in the region was very useful
to his country, though, in the minister's words, "South Caucasus and
the Baltic region are beyond comparison."
The Lithuanian Defense Ministry has taken the initiative to transfer
the Baltic military cooperation experience to countries of the South
Caucasus region.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sargsian met with his Lithuanian counterpart,
Linas Linkevicius, and discussed opportunities for bilateral regional
cooperation, NATO enlargement processes and the course of armed
forces reform.
After the meeting, the two officials signed a cooperation treaty on
studies of Armenian officers at the Lithuanian War Academy. Analogous
documents have already been signed with Georgian and Azerbaijani
ministries of defense.
Lithuania assists in the training of Armenian officers by offering
a possibility to study at Lithuanian military training institutions
and paying for studies of one Armenian officer at the Baltic Defense
College in the Estonian city Tartu.
Sargsian's agenda for Wednesday also include meetings with Foreign
Minister Antanas Valionis, members of the parliament's National
Security and Defense Committee and chairman Alvydas Sadeckas, as well
as Land Forces Commander Brigadier General Arvydas Pocius.
The Armenian minister, who is to wrap up his visit in Lithuania on
Thursday, will also visit the country's First Air Base in Zokniai
and meet with troops of the international contingent performing the
air-policing mission in the three Baltic states.
NATO forces have been patrolling the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian
air space since the three Balts joined the alliance in the end of March
this year. A Danish contingent is currently stationed in Zokniai with
its five fighters F-16.
Sargsian was appointed as Armenia's defense minister in 2000. He also
worked in the position in the 1993-1995 period and later worked as
minister of interior affairs and national security, as well as in
other top-ranking posts in the country's security structures.
Lithuania and Armenia signed the defense cooperation agreement in 2002.
Armenia has been participating in the Partnership for Peace program
since 1994.
Baltic News Service
September 8, 2004
VILNIUS, Sep 08 -- Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sargsian, currently
on a visit in Lithuania, says that the situation in the South Caucasus
region may aggravate due to conflicts in North Caucasus.
"There are a lot of conflicts in South Caucasus as well. Maybe, at
first sight, there is stability, but people living there see that
there are threats to security," Sargsian said after a meeting with
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus on Wednesday.
There is only a fragile truce between Armenian and Azerbaijani armies
at the front line in Mountain Karabach, the situation at Gerogia's
border with Abkhasia and South Ossetia.
"Other conflicts might make them detonate. Of course there is a
threat," the Armenian minister said in Vilnius.
At least 340 hostages including many children were killed in the
terrorist hostage drama in the North Ossetian town of Beslan last
week, which left hundreds injured. About 1,180 adults and children
were held hostage for more than two days in the school.
Sargsian stressed that terrorism had no borders and terrorists did
not choose means any longer.
The Armenian defense minister told journalists that Lithuania-proposed
experience in stabilization of situation in the region was very useful
to his country, though, in the minister's words, "South Caucasus and
the Baltic region are beyond comparison."
The Lithuanian Defense Ministry has taken the initiative to transfer
the Baltic military cooperation experience to countries of the South
Caucasus region.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sargsian met with his Lithuanian counterpart,
Linas Linkevicius, and discussed opportunities for bilateral regional
cooperation, NATO enlargement processes and the course of armed
forces reform.
After the meeting, the two officials signed a cooperation treaty on
studies of Armenian officers at the Lithuanian War Academy. Analogous
documents have already been signed with Georgian and Azerbaijani
ministries of defense.
Lithuania assists in the training of Armenian officers by offering
a possibility to study at Lithuanian military training institutions
and paying for studies of one Armenian officer at the Baltic Defense
College in the Estonian city Tartu.
Sargsian's agenda for Wednesday also include meetings with Foreign
Minister Antanas Valionis, members of the parliament's National
Security and Defense Committee and chairman Alvydas Sadeckas, as well
as Land Forces Commander Brigadier General Arvydas Pocius.
The Armenian minister, who is to wrap up his visit in Lithuania on
Thursday, will also visit the country's First Air Base in Zokniai
and meet with troops of the international contingent performing the
air-policing mission in the three Baltic states.
NATO forces have been patrolling the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian
air space since the three Balts joined the alliance in the end of March
this year. A Danish contingent is currently stationed in Zokniai with
its five fighters F-16.
Sargsian was appointed as Armenia's defense minister in 2000. He also
worked in the position in the 1993-1995 period and later worked as
minister of interior affairs and national security, as well as in
other top-ranking posts in the country's security structures.
Lithuania and Armenia signed the defense cooperation agreement in 2002.
Armenia has been participating in the Partnership for Peace program
since 1994.