THE INTERVIEW OF THE FIRST DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER DAVIT TONOYAN TO MEDIAMAX NEWS AGENCY
2011-08-09
– On July 18-21, the delegation headed by you took part in
Armenian-U.S. defense consultations in Washington D.C., during which
the sides agreed to expand the spheres of cooperation. Tell us about
these spheres, please.
– During the recent consultations we mainly focused on Armenian defense
reforms and development of Armenian Armed Forces, aiming to clarify
with our American colleagues the USA’s possible assistance to these
processes. We particularly discussed defense policy of the Republic
of Armenia, the implementation of plans aimed at the development of
Armenian Armed Forces based on the results of Armenia’s Strategic
Defense Review (SDR), human resource management, professional military
education, development of professional NCO corps, export control of
military goods, issues related to humanitarian demining, as well as
some programs of public and cultural interest.
Besides, we also touched upon such issues as the effective use of
the assistance rendered by the United States and US capabilities in
the development of Armenian peacekeeping capabilities, including the
organization of both bilateral and multilateral combined exercises.
– Where, when and in what framework will the exercises be held?
– It has been already 10 years that the Armenian and the U.S. military
have been conducting combined military exercises in the spheres
of peacekeeping, communications, military medicine and emergency
response. Small-scale training activities have been also held. We
should also keep in mind the combined activities and liaison of
Armenian and U.S. military during the operations in Iraq, Kosovo
and Afghanistan.
However, all this was done mainly on multilateral basis, through
multinational operations and exercises. As for the possibility of
holding bilateral Armenian-U.S. exercise, yes, this issue has been
discussed. However, taking into consideration the fact that NATO/PfP
Live and Command Post Exercises have been restored since this year,
the urgency of holding bilateral Armenian-U.S. exercise for training
purposes of our peacekeepers decreases, but the issue remains on the
agenda of further Armenian-U.S. consultations.
The Armenian Ministry of Defense has big experience in organizing
and holding multilateral exercises.
– Can we say that the Armenian-U.S. defense cooperation is moving
from the incipient stage to comprehensive cooperation?
– The Armenian-U.S. defense cooperation has indeed grown impressively
over last years. Among the achievements of Armenian-U.S. defense
cooperation in 2010-2011 we can mention the process of SDR and the
beginning of implementation of the development plan worked out as a
result of the SDR as well as the three-fold expansion of the Armenian
contingent participating in ISAF mission, taking into account the
fact that the Armenian military who have been trained with the U.S.
assistance forms the contingents participating in international
peacekeeping operations.
– The session of the North Atlantic Council in 28+1 format (NATO
members +Armenia) was held in Brussels on July 27, as a result of
which the renewed Individual Partnership Action Plan was discussed.
Receiving the Special Representative of NATO Secretary General in
Yerevan in late June, Armenian President expressed the hope that the
renewed IPAP will allow bringing the cooperation to a new quality
level. Which are the main changes of IPAP for the Armenian Defense
Ministry?
– Let me clarify that the session attended by the Armenian Ministers
of Defense and Foreign Affairs, focused not on the renewed IPAP but
on the Assessment Report of the previous IPAP, which gives grounds to
launch the process of approval of the renewed IPAP. I think it will
be approved by the end of this year when all NATO allies approve the
renewed IPAP worked out by joint efforts of experts from Armenia and
NATO International Staff.
As for the content of the new IPAP, its biggest and principal
difference is that the previous ones were mainly directed to the
conduct of the SDR process, whereas the new program mainly aims at
the realization of results of the Review.
Besides, together with previous spheres the new IPAP includes such
areas as the study of capabilities for improving battle training
programs for various types of Armenian Armed Forces, cooperation in
military-industrial sphere, as well as the study of NATO member
states’ armament and military equipment the codification and
standardization system aimed at the development of future defense
industrial cooperation with them.
– During meetings in USA and Brussels you have discussed the issue of
improving the peacekeeping capabilities of the Armenian Peacekeeping
Forces. At what stage of readiness are our peacekeepers today and
what are the problems that still need to be solved?
– Today, the 12th peacekeeping brigade of the Armenian Armed Forces
has two fully equipped infantry battalions and can provide about two
companies for operations by rotation principle. Today, on the whole
161 servicemen of the brigade are permanently deployed in the theatres
of multinational operations: 126 in Afghanistan, and 35 – in Kosovo.
The third battalion of the brigade is being formed now.
Within the framework of developing the brigade (the process will be
completed in 2015), we focus our efforts on the development of its
logistics capabilities and equipment. In this process not secondary
attention is paid also to the constant training, re-training and
eventual assessment of the brigade’s manpower.
An engineer battalion has recently joined Armenian peacekeeping forces,
which was also declared in the PfP pool of forces in the framework
of Operational Capabilities Concept, so we are planning to carry out
combat readiness evaluations for this unit as well.
– You have recently met with your Russian colleagues. Unlike the
Armenian-U.S. military ties, the Armenian-Russian defense cooperation
has a rich history and the sides seem to understand each other better.
What issues have been discussed in Moscow?
– The Armenian-Russian defense cooperation has indeed a rich history
and traditions and involves wider spectrum of defense cooperation
than with other countries.
While in Moscow I have hold meetings with CSTO Secretariat’s leadership
and my colleagues from the Russian Defense Ministry. During my meetings
in CSTO we discussed a number of issues such as: the establishment
of organization’s Military Committee, improvement of Combined Joint
Staff activities, as well as the involvement of observers from various
international organizations and countries in future military exercises
to be carried out with the framework CSTO Rapid Reaction Collective
Forces and Armenian-Russian Combined Task Force, which will ensure
necessary transparency and will be considered as a confidence building
measure in the region thus reinforcing the image of the CSTO as an
organization ensuring the regional security.
As for the meetings with our colleagues from the Russian Defense
Ministry, they were devoted to the discussion of such issues as the
coordination of Armenian and Russian defense ministries’ positions
on the future of international arms control arrangements, regional
security, optimization of the Russian 102nd military base in Armenia
and re-deployment and modernization of its units.
– There is an opinion that Russia attaches rather “symbolic” than
combative importance to its military base in Armenia. What can you
say in this regard? I suppose the issue of the base has also been
discussed.
– I think this is the case when we shouldn’t seek for some hidden or
other meanings. The presence of the Russian military base in Armenia
has always been conditioned by the political-military interests of the
two countries. According to the agreement on the extension of terms of
deployment of the Russian military base in Armenia signed last year,
the 102nd base also undertook the commitment to support Armenia’s
security. Thus, it’s not a secret that the Russian military base is
the indivisible part of Armenia’s security system, which is set in
a number of conceptual documents of the Republic of Armenia such as
the National Security Strategy, Military Doctrine.
– The Russian Defense Minister has recently visited Azerbaijan to
discuss the future of Gabala Station. Does Armenia have a position
about the operation of the station and possible change of its status?
– The exploitation of Gabala radiolocation station has a definite
importance for the Russian Federation. During the Soviet times it was
part of the missile defense system and now it allows Russian Armed
Forces to control the air picture in the region and prevent missile
attacks. Taking into account the Armenian-Russian allied ties, we
don’t consider the exploitation of Gabala base by Russia as running
counter to Armenia’s security interests. On the contrary, I believe
the more our strategic ally and other partner states get involved in
the security and, why not, in the military spheres of our neighboring
country, the more it will facilitate the security of the entire region.
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