Tweet
RUSSIAN ARMY CHIEF VISITS ARMENIA, INSPECTS GROUND TROOPS
epress.am
11.04.2011
The commander-in-chief of Russia's ground forces has visited Armenia
where he met top Armenian military officials and inspected Russian
troops stationed in the country, RFE/RL's Armenian service reports.
The Armenian Defense Ministry gave no details of Colonel General
Aleksandr Postnikov's talks with Armenian Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian and the chief of the Armenian army's General Staff, Colonel
General Yuri Khachaturov.
A ministry statement said the main purpose of Postnikov's three-day
trip - which ended on Nov. 2 - was to "verify and oversee" an ongoing
"optimization of the order of deployment" of the Russian military
base headquartered in Gyumri.
It said he inspected various units and facilities at the base.
Postnikov already visited Armenia twice in April for the same purpose.
Armenian and Russian military officials have since given few details
of the redeployment of Russian troops. It is unknown whether their
overall number will change as a result of the redistribution
Senior Russian Defense Ministry official Andrei Gusev said in June
that "excess weaponry and military hardware" from the Russian base
will be transferred to the Armenian army for free as part of the
redeployment. He did not elaborate.
Gusev assured lawmakers in Moscow that the "optimization" will not
affect the combat-readiness of Russian troops.
The Russian base has up to 5,000 soldiers, more than 100 tanks and
armored personnel carriers, S-300 air defense missiles, and a squadron
of MiG-29 fighter jets.
A Russian-Armenian agreement signed in August 2010 extended the
Russian military presence in Armenia by 24 years, until 2044, and
upgraded its security mission. The deal also committed Moscow to
supplying Armenia with modern weaponry.
The Russian troop presence, a major element of Armenia's national
security doctrine, was called into question in April when Georgia
decided not to renew a Russian-Georgian agreement that allowed Moscow
to use Georgian territory for shipments to Armenia.
The Armenian Defense Ministry downplayed the Georgian move at the
time, saying that it will not lead to any "change in Armenia's
security environment."
epress.am
11.04.2011
The commander-in-chief of Russia's ground forces has visited Armenia
where he met top Armenian military officials and inspected Russian
troops stationed in the country, RFE/RL's Armenian service reports.
The Armenian Defense Ministry gave no details of Colonel General
Aleksandr Postnikov's talks with Armenian Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian and the chief of the Armenian army's General Staff, Colonel
General Yuri Khachaturov.
A ministry statement said the main purpose of Postnikov's three-day
trip - which ended on Nov. 2 - was to "verify and oversee" an ongoing
"optimization of the order of deployment" of the Russian military
base headquartered in Gyumri.
It said he inspected various units and facilities at the base.
Postnikov already visited Armenia twice in April for the same purpose.
Armenian and Russian military officials have since given few details
of the redeployment of Russian troops. It is unknown whether their
overall number will change as a result of the redistribution
Senior Russian Defense Ministry official Andrei Gusev said in June
that "excess weaponry and military hardware" from the Russian base
will be transferred to the Armenian army for free as part of the
redeployment. He did not elaborate.
Gusev assured lawmakers in Moscow that the "optimization" will not
affect the combat-readiness of Russian troops.
The Russian base has up to 5,000 soldiers, more than 100 tanks and
armored personnel carriers, S-300 air defense missiles, and a squadron
of MiG-29 fighter jets.
A Russian-Armenian agreement signed in August 2010 extended the
Russian military presence in Armenia by 24 years, until 2044, and
upgraded its security mission. The deal also committed Moscow to
supplying Armenia with modern weaponry.
The Russian troop presence, a major element of Armenia's national
security doctrine, was called into question in April when Georgia
decided not to renew a Russian-Georgian agreement that allowed Moscow
to use Georgian territory for shipments to Armenia.
The Armenian Defense Ministry downplayed the Georgian move at the
time, saying that it will not lead to any "change in Armenia's
security environment."