The German defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, inspected and praised Armenian troops serving in Afghanistan under German command during a visit to the war-torn country. His visit ended yesterday.
Von der Leyen visited them Monday to Camp Marshal, a German military base near the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif, which also serves as the regional headquarters of the multinational force led by NATO in Afghanistan.
According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, she thanked the 56 Armenian soldiers currently deployed there for their service. “She noted that Armenia is considered a reliable partner and expects this partnership to be sustainable,” the ministry said in a statement.
A photograph published by showed him the commander of the Armenian contingent exhibiting von der Leyen an Armenian national flag and an English-language book about a medieval monastery in Armenia.
The Armenian soldiers serve under German command and use German equipment since they were deployed in Afghanistan in 2010. Many of them have undergone short courses in Germany before their deployments.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian reiterated last week in Yerevan intends to maintain its military presence in Afghanistan, “at least until the end of 2016”.
The NATO mission also seems to have boosted the broader military ties with Armenia Germany. The defense ministries of the two countries pledged to strengthen bilateral cooperation last year when they approved a plan of joint activities for 2015.
President Serzh Sargsyan spoke of “fruitful cooperation with Germany” Armenia when he spoke at the NATO summit in Wales in August 2014. It was for him to “excellent example of the interaction between the members and partners of NATO states. “
Claire © armenews.com