On June 27, Armenian Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan received Celeste Wallander, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Eurasia and the Ukraine. Issues related to the cooperation between the defense agencies of the two countries were discussed. The parties stressed that the Armenian-American defense cooperation was successfully developing both in bilateral format and within the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Attaching importance to Armenia’s participation in international peacekeeping activities, Celeste Wallander highly appreciated the mission of Armenian peacekeepers in Afghanistan, as well as our country’s willingness to participate in the training of the security forces in Afghanistan. The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense assured that the United States would continue supporting Armenia’s efforts towards implementation of reforms in the fields of peacekeeping, military education and defense. Seyran Ohanyan expressed gratitude to Celeste Wallander for the expert assistance of the US to the process of Armenia’s Defense Strategy review. During the meeting the parties exchanged views on issues of regional security, particularly the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. RA Minister of Defense noted that Armenia, committing to the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh issue, strictly observes the cease-fire regime and is in no way interested in aggravating the situation at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. At the same time, Seyran Ohanyan expressed concern over the fact that Azerbaijan fails to demonstrate willingness to maintain the cease-fire regime, which results in numerous violations of the truce. Noyan Tapan is informed about this by RA MD Information and Public Relations Department.

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