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ARMENIA BETWEEN CSTO AND NATO
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 30 2013
30 October 2013 - 11:50am
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Experts' attitude to the recent visit to Armenia by the special envoy
of NATO Secretary General in the South Caucasus and Central Asia,
James Appathurai was ambiguous. Some of them have pessimistic views
on the further cooperation between Armenia and NATO, since President
Serge Sargsyan stated on Armenia's intention to join the Customs
Union. According to them, the EU and NATO try to put Armenia aside
and actually reject it. The other group of experts is sure that the
struggle for the region between the leading political centers of the
world is still acute, and Armenia is not isolated. And Appathurai's
visit confirms this.
Appathurai expressed gratitude to the authorities in Armenia for their
contribution to the peacemaking processes in Kosovo and Afghanistan,
saying that Armenia was a member of the international community. He
confirmed NATO's desire to encourage cooperation between Armenia
and NATO in the sphere of reforms. NATO helps Armenia with military
education and meet high international standards; with struggling
against corruption in the sphere of purchases for Armed Forces; with
the development of a new defense strategy of Armenia. However, it is
not clear how NATO can help with development of the defense strategy,
if its representatives don't know all necessary details.
According to the former defense minister of Armenia Vagarshak
Arutyunyan, in this case it can mean only methodological support
because crucial issues of elimination of threats by the Armenian
army and the CSTO have already been defined by the National Security
Strategy.
Very notable was Appathurai's statement that Armenia's membership
in CSTO and its desire to join the CU didn't prevent its cooperation
with NATO which didn't oppose the fact that Armenia chose Russia as
a guarantor of its security.
"Cooperation between Armenia and NATO doesn't prevent cooperation
between Armenia and Russia, or the CSTO. The top authorities of either
CSTO or NATO have always stated that they see no contradiction in
this case. Armenia has never tried to play on contradictions between
military and political alliances operating in the region; it has
always tried to combine cooperation with them," the deputy head of
the institute "The Caucasus", Sergey Minasyan says.
Cooperation between Armenia and NATO positively influences the
training of Armenian soldiers. Together with NATO Armenia opened a
mine clearance center where combat engineers are trained; NATO helps
Armenia with modernization of military education infrastructure.
According to some information, they establish training classes for
officers and tutors of Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute and Monte
Melkonyan Military School. However, the problem of security is still
priority for Armenia. At the same time, NATO has no liabilities to
Armenia in the sphere of security guarantees. The frameworks of IPAP
(Individual Partnership Action Plan) do not require military aide, so
the program cannot be an alternative to the Collective Security Treaty
which requires clear liabilities toward providing Armenia's security.
Moreover, NATO representatives have many times stated that they have
no intention to provide Armenia's security.
Armenia has a three-level security system which is based on three
documents. The first is the treaty between Armenia and Russia of 1997
On Friendship and Cooperation. The second is the treaty on the Russian
military base situated in Armenia; it says that Russia is obliged to
provide Armenia's security and provide modern military machineries
to Armenia. The third document is the CSTO. So, the only guarantor
of Armenia's security is Russia.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/46990.html
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 30 2013
30 October 2013 - 11:50am
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Experts' attitude to the recent visit to Armenia by the special envoy
of NATO Secretary General in the South Caucasus and Central Asia,
James Appathurai was ambiguous. Some of them have pessimistic views
on the further cooperation between Armenia and NATO, since President
Serge Sargsyan stated on Armenia's intention to join the Customs
Union. According to them, the EU and NATO try to put Armenia aside
and actually reject it. The other group of experts is sure that the
struggle for the region between the leading political centers of the
world is still acute, and Armenia is not isolated. And Appathurai's
visit confirms this.
Appathurai expressed gratitude to the authorities in Armenia for their
contribution to the peacemaking processes in Kosovo and Afghanistan,
saying that Armenia was a member of the international community. He
confirmed NATO's desire to encourage cooperation between Armenia
and NATO in the sphere of reforms. NATO helps Armenia with military
education and meet high international standards; with struggling
against corruption in the sphere of purchases for Armed Forces; with
the development of a new defense strategy of Armenia. However, it is
not clear how NATO can help with development of the defense strategy,
if its representatives don't know all necessary details.
According to the former defense minister of Armenia Vagarshak
Arutyunyan, in this case it can mean only methodological support
because crucial issues of elimination of threats by the Armenian
army and the CSTO have already been defined by the National Security
Strategy.
Very notable was Appathurai's statement that Armenia's membership
in CSTO and its desire to join the CU didn't prevent its cooperation
with NATO which didn't oppose the fact that Armenia chose Russia as
a guarantor of its security.
"Cooperation between Armenia and NATO doesn't prevent cooperation
between Armenia and Russia, or the CSTO. The top authorities of either
CSTO or NATO have always stated that they see no contradiction in
this case. Armenia has never tried to play on contradictions between
military and political alliances operating in the region; it has
always tried to combine cooperation with them," the deputy head of
the institute "The Caucasus", Sergey Minasyan says.
Cooperation between Armenia and NATO positively influences the
training of Armenian soldiers. Together with NATO Armenia opened a
mine clearance center where combat engineers are trained; NATO helps
Armenia with modernization of military education infrastructure.
According to some information, they establish training classes for
officers and tutors of Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute and Monte
Melkonyan Military School. However, the problem of security is still
priority for Armenia. At the same time, NATO has no liabilities to
Armenia in the sphere of security guarantees. The frameworks of IPAP
(Individual Partnership Action Plan) do not require military aide, so
the program cannot be an alternative to the Collective Security Treaty
which requires clear liabilities toward providing Armenia's security.
Moreover, NATO representatives have many times stated that they have
no intention to provide Armenia's security.
Armenia has a three-level security system which is based on three
documents. The first is the treaty between Armenia and Russia of 1997
On Friendship and Cooperation. The second is the treaty on the Russian
military base situated in Armenia; it says that Russia is obliged to
provide Armenia's security and provide modern military machineries
to Armenia. The third document is the CSTO. So, the only guarantor
of Armenia's security is Russia.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/46990.html