The business visit of the delegation headed by the RA Minister of Defence to the Islamic State of Afghanistan from the 24th till 26th of July, 2010

The delegation headed by the RA MoD Seyran Ohanyan was in Afghanistan from the 24th of July, 2010. On the 24th of July the RA MoD visited the RA unit located in Kunduz. He observed the service conditions of the Armenian peacekeepers, visited the Kunduz airfield posts. The Armenian unit is responsible for the security of the airfield. RA AF spiritual leader Vrtanes Bishop Abrahamyan blessed St. Tadevos Apostol chapel built by the Armenian peacekeepers.
In the frames of the visit the RA AF delegation met commander of the ISAF Afghanistan, general David Petreus, the commander of ISAF RC North and the elite of the Rehabilitation group of the region of Kunduz. During the meetings the sides discussed the security environment of Afghanistan and the region, the challenges of transferring the security responsibility to the AF of Afghanistan from the ISAF Afghanistan, the outcomes of Kabul forum and the prospects of further cooperation.

On the 24th of July the delegation headed by the RA MoD Seyran Ohanyan left for the Islamic State of Afghanistan of a two-day visit. 1st deputy chief of the RA AF GS, lieutenant-general Enrico Apriamov, chief of the RA MoD Department of Defence Policy Davit Tonoyan and RA AF spiritual leader Vrtanes Bishop Abrahamyan were included in the delegation.

During the visit the delegation headed by the RA MoD will visit the Armenianpeacekeeping union under the German command in NATO ISAF North Command in Afghanistan, will meet ISAF Afghanistan commander, US AF general David Petreus, minister of defence of Afghanistan Abdul Raheem Wardak, chief of the AF GS of Afghanistan, lieutenant-general Sher Mohammad Karim and the North Command of ISAF Afghanistan.

RA MoD Department of Information and Public Affairs

From the July 21st to the 22nd, within the framework of bilateral military cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Republic of Germany and by the invitation of the Federal Minister of Defense Dr. Karl-Theodor Freiherr zu Guttenberg, the delegation headed by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia was on first ever official visit in Germany.
Minister Ohanyan started his visit with the meeting with the Armenian community in Cologne (21st of July), had official talks in the Bonn headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Defense, together with Dr zu Guttenberg visited General-Hans-Graf-Sponeck-Barracks in Germersheim, where the Armenian peacekeeping contingent was undertaking pre-deployment training for the mission in Afghanistan, had discussions with the members of Bundestag (Federal Parliament) and the Governor of Germersheim Dr Fritz Brechtel.

From the 19th till 20th of July, 2010 the delegation headed by Chief of the RA AF GS, colonel-general Yuri Khachaturov, in the German city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, participated in the forum of AF GS chiefs from the Eastern European and Caucasian countries.
The event, organized with the initiative of commander of the European command of the USA, admiral James Stavridis, also hosted representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.
In his speech colonel-general Khachaturov talked about the defence reforms implemented in the frames of the RA Strategic Defence Review; about matters related to the military cooperation with NATO and the US, as well as about the current threats to peace, security and stability in the region of South Caucasus.

RA MoD Department of Information and Public Affairs

On the 21st of July, 2010 the delegation headed by RA MoD Seyran Ohanyan left for the Federal Republic of Germany on a two-day official visit by the invitation of minister of Federal Defence of the FRG Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.
During the visit the RA MoD will meet the minister of Federal Defence of Germany and the military-political elite. The RA MoD delegation will visit the German training center where the second shift of the RA AF peacekeepers’ unit is being trained before leaving for the peacekeeping mission under the command of the ISAF in Afghanistan. In the frames of the visit Seyran Ohanyan will also meet the Armenian community in Germany.

RA MoD Department of Information and Public Affairs