Agency questions Armenia’s readiness to become NATO partner

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
14 Sep 04

It was announced on 6 September during Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan’s official visit to Poland that Yerevan would send about 50
military specialists to serve as part of the Polish contingent in Iraq.

[Passage omitted: quotes Polish president, Armenian defence minister]

The news about the forthcoming dispatch of military specialists to
Iraq caused mixed reaction in Armenia though it first became known
about Yerevan’s intention to contribute to the peacekeeping operation
in this country in August 2003.

The main reason of this mixed reaction, most likely, lies in the
fact that nobody wants to clearly explain to the people why Armenia,
the only country in the South Caucasus not included in the anti-Iraq
coalition, has decided to send its military specialists to Iraq. For
instance, the authorities of Georgia, which is going to increase
the number of its servicemen in Iraq to 300 in the near future,
sincerely state that in such a way they fulfil their commitments
before the United States. Representatives of official Baku are also
making similar statements. As to Armenia, the decision to dispatch
peacekeepers to Iraq was not accompanied by any PR-support and this,
of course, tells upon the public perception.

[Passage omitted: background information; reported speculations about
Armenian general’s statement]

Armenia’s rapprochement with NATO, and as a result, Armenian officers’
training at US military academies will sooner or later lead to
a situation when representatives of Western and Russian military
schools within the Defence Ministry will begin “conflicting” with each
other. And if rapprochement with NATO continues, those few officers
who study in the United States today will have much more opportunities
for professional and career growth than dozens of their colleagues
who graduate from Russian military academies every year.

It is natural that this kind of situation can bring about a gap
between the disposition of the officers who are going to become the
new Armenian military elite. The older generation of the officers and
their younger colleagues having studied in Russia, whether they want
it or not, continue to perceive NATO as a potential enemy. Unsettled
Armenian-Turkish relations only heat up these moods. On the other
hand, the officers trained in the United States admire the power of
the US military machine and are disposed correspondingly. Such state
of affairs can be considered normal for any country going through a
transition period. However, already today it is necessary to think
about how to minimize the possible risk and to create a homogeneous
officers’ staff.

[Passage omitted: quotes a Russian political expert]

As to the suppositions of the Armenian deputy defence minister [Yuriy
Khachaturov] that the parliament of the country might not ratify the
agreement on sending the Armenian contingent to Iraq, most likely this
is groundless. At any rate, last June the Armenian National Assembly
without any problems ratified an Armenian-Kuwaiti agreement on the
status of Armenian armed forces in Kuwait. The agreement outlines
procedures for the presence of Armenian servicemen in this country
before being dispatched to Iraq.

It is natural that the dispatch of Armenian military specialists is
fraught with a threat to their lives. However, first, every man who
has become a professional serviceman knows that at any time he might
have to risk his life. And, second, many people think that Western
values, integration into Europe, contribution to the world security are
only words. In reality, one should go a thorny path full of unpopular
decisions to achieve all these. And today we must answer the question:
Is Armenia ready for this?