Armenia Looks to Technology to Secure Border
Thursday, July 24th, 2014
Armenia’s Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian visits a military outpost on
the border with Azerbaijan
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenia has been putting in place “engineering
facilities” along with other measures to prevent attempts by
Azerbaijani sabotage groups to infiltrate into its territory,
according to Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian.
In an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) on
Thursday Ohanian acknowledged, however, that advanced systems are not
available at all sections of the border with Azerbaijan, especially in
the areas where they would be exposed to enemy fire.
Installing such expensive security equipment at sections exposed to
constant ceasefire violations is simply not expedient, the minister
explained.
But there is an opportunity to install security systems “where there
is no immediate aggressiveness of the enemy and where the positions of
the sides are far apart” so as to also ensure the expensive equipment
does not get damaged or destroyed, he added.
Concerns over the possibility of Azerbaijani commando units’ or
sabotage groups’ infiltrating into Armenian territory increased in
Armenia in the last couple of weeks amid a major incursion reported
near Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Artsakh Republic’s authorities said last week a group of
Azerbaijanis had been arrested in the region on suspicion of espionage
and subversive activities. The Nagorno-Karabakh police force said the
group members had killed one military serviceman and severely wounded
a civilian. Another local teenager, it said, had been kidnapped and
then brutally murdered by the alleged Azerbaijani saboteurs.
Still last week Minister Ohanian emphasized that none of the
Azerbaijanis who had managed to infiltrate into the Karvachar
(Kelbajar) district near Nagorno-Karabakh, could cross into Armenia.
Speaking about the use of new technologies, the minister said that to
make them more affordable for the purpose of securing the border,
efforts are underway to ensure the availability of locally produced
types of such devices. Some of which, he added, are at the stage of
testing at present.
“We certainly cooperate with all the organizations that either make
offers or work on our request. We particularly cooperate with
enterprises working in the information technology sector,” Ohanian
said.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Union of Information Technology
Enterprises Karen Vardanian said that the current cooperation between
the Defense Ministry and IT companies did not seem satisfactory to
him.
“We have good relations with the Defense Ministry. Their
representatives come and attend our technology displays and
exhibitions. But there is no strategic approach,” he complained.
Vartanian said that today Armenia does develop technologies that can
serve the cause of keeping the borders safe. “Moreover, Armenia
exports these technologies and a number of companies even work for the
military-industrial complexes of other countries,” he added.
From: A. Papazian