Armenia should be proud of int'l peacekeeping role: U.S. diplomatNovember 1, 2017 - 14:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Zar Military Training Center opened in Armenia on Tuesday, October 31, with defense minister Vigen Sargsyan,U.S. Embassy in Armenia's Chargé d'Affaires Rafik Mansour and Air Force Brig. Gen. Dawne L. Deskinsattending the event. The minister said in his speech that the center testifies to the close cooperation between the U.S. and Armenia. Mansour said, in turn, that Armenia should be proud of the role it plays in international peacekeeping missions. "The presence of Armenian forces in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Lebanon reveals Armenia's commitment to making the world a safer place," he said. "By reconstructing this center the U.S. government supports Armenian defense ministry efforts aimed at raising combat-readiness of their units." The Zar center will serve as a main center for Armenian peacekeepers preparing for international peacekeeping efforts. The Armenian army’s Peacekeeping Brigade has received considerable financial and technical assistance from the U.S. and other NATO member states ever since it was set up in the early 2000s. NATO assigned a higher degree of combat readiness and interoperability to the brigade after monitoring a four-day exercise held by it at the Zar facility in 2015. More than 130 soldiers of the brigade are currently deployed in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Armenia plans to join more peacekeeping missions abroad with specialized medical and demining units. They will undergo NATO training before their deployment. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. |