YEREVAN (ARMENPRESS)—All state agencies are prepared to make prompt and balanced decisions in any situation envisaged by the “Shant-2015” military exercises, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Movses Hakobyan said at a press conference today in Yerevan. According to Hakobyan, the country has been brought to a high level of combat readiness, Armenpress reports.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the “Shant-2015” military exercises were aimed at raising the state’s immediate preparedness in case of future acts of aggression. Taking into account the military and political situation surrounding Armenia, the scenarios of “Shant-2015” included а fictitious rival and tried to reflect geo-political realities.

“The exercises aim to reveal the potential of the state in case of possible war. This is the first time Armenia is holding exercises of such scale, involving all state agencies,” Hakobyan said.

“It’s still untimely to assess the results; the outcome will be summed up at a later stage. The agencies get certain assignments, some of which should be applied in practice. All participating bodies will get assessed,” Hakobyan said.

He stressed that the Armenian Armed Forces have seriously prepared for the military exercise and have enough resources stored to last for as long as 65 days.

The “Shant-2015” military exercises also included scenarios involving the transportation and protection of artifacts of historical and cultural significance. The National Gallery of Armenia and the Mesrop Mashdots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts took part in the exercises.

Arman Tsaturyan, director of the National Gallery, noted that the museum carries out its emergency response with a high level of preparedness, and moves artifacts of significant cultural value according to standards set by the Ministry of Culture to special storage units in museum.

Director of the Mesrop Mashtots Institute Hrachya Tamrazyan emphasized that, “the Matenadaran is one of the unique centers of the world that provides [the] best means for preservation [of manuscripts]. The new building has a unique storage system. It is considered unique in the world and foreign experts also [agree]. The exhibits can be evacuated from various places and preserved in the Matenadaran.”

According to him, the Matenadaran has all the necessary means to ensure rapid evacuation of its manuscripts and other artifacts. “The evacuation is a confidential plan. There are big storages in the new building and high-capacity strategic storages in the old one,” Tamrazyan said.