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Armenia, France keen on deepening defense cooperation

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military-coperationArmenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan had a meeting with French Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier.

The Armenian Defense Minister attached importance to France’s efforts towards the settlement of the Karabakh conflict in its capacity as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair.

The interlocutors praised the high level of interstate relations and noted that there is a great potential for developing bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, especially in international peacekeeping.

The parties agreed to work towards intensification of cooperation in the field of defense and on the military-political level.

Reference was made to issues of regional security.

Armenia ready to fight for every inch of land in Nagorno-Karabakh – minister

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armenian-dmArmenia’s minister of defense ruled out the return of any inch of land to Azerbaijan in the wake of the upcoming processes over Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
Speaking to Tert.am, Seyran Ohanyan said that Armenia expects only a peaceful settlement plan from the international mediators’ upcoming meeting in Moscow.
Asked to comment on the final outcome of the discussions spearheaded by the OSCE Minsk Group, the minister replied, “I think the responsibility for our diplomacy lies upon the competent [government] agencies, which are profoundly informed of the negotiation process. We have only one expectation: implementation of our proposal to achieve only a peaceful political solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, relying on a dialogue, mutual agreements, and, last but not least, confidence-building.”
Addresssing rumors on returning regions, Ohanyan stressed the importance of comprehensive decisions stemming from the negotiation process.

“In the existing reality when it is so difficult find common ground with the adversary – especially after the four-day war and in the wake of increased provocations – [the mechanisms promoting] confidence-building on the frontline keep being rejected. That allows us to say that without an atmosphere of trust, mutual agreements will be out of the question. Should anything happen to Artsakh or its people, we will fight for every inch of land.”
Ohanyan said they have observed no tensions over the recent period, with the recently reached agreements being “more or less respected”. He added that Nagorno-Karabakh’s Defense Army uses no heavy equipment, relying only on preventive measures when necessary.

Tigranuhi Martirosyan

Karabakh Update: Ministry of Defence of the Nagorno-Karabakh

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Joint Defense System With Armenia to ‘Keep Russia Safe From ISIL, NATO’

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1021300064By signing an agreement with Armenia to create a joint missile air defense system in the South Caucasus, Russia has made a wise geopolitical move, US global intelligence company Stratfor reported.

Ten days ago, the Russian government worked out a joint missile air defense system with Armenia in the region. Afterwards, the government in Yerevan confirmed the upcoming visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Armenia in later November to officially sign the new defense deal between the two countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a brilliant move, as by signing the agreement with Armenia Russia essentially killed two birds with one stone.

First of all, Russia would boost its southern borders, as Moscow becomes more militarily involved in Syria. The possibility of ISIL jihadists slipping into Russia’s southern Islamic republics is still a concern for Moscow.

“Moscow is keen to increase its ability to monitor its southern borders — a goal that a military presence in Armenia, with its proximity to the Middle East, is ideally suited to achieve,” Stratfor reported.

Secondly, as NATO’s increased activity in Eastern Europe and Turkey frustrates Moscow, Russia’s joint defense system with Armenia is intended to counter the Western alliance’s military buildup near Russian borders, the US intelligence company explained.

The Russo-Armenian military cooperation in the Southern Caucasus would certainly upset Turkey’s ambitions in the region.

Furthermore, as Georgia is moving closer to the West — the country recently opened a NATO training center and regularly holds joint military exercises with the US Army — Russia made a good move by signing the joint defense agreement with Armenia, thus enhancing Moscow’s military presence in the region, Stratfor said.

“It would also be located in a geopolitically complex region where many other regional players have significant strategic interests,” Stratfor commented about the Russo-Armenian cooperation in the Southern Caucasus.

In late September, despite not being a NATO member, Georgia became a member of the NATO Response Force (NRF).

The NRF is a technologically-advanced high-readiness unit comprising land, air, and maritime forces within the alliance. The initiative was launched in 2002, and members created an operational group in 2014, as a response to changing security needs. Finland, Sweden and Ukraine also participate in the NRF program.    

Source: sputniknews