Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04YEREVAN2092
2004-09-22 12:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Yerevan
Cable title:  

ARMENIA'S MOD SUPPORTS BROADER, DEEPER DEFENSE

Tags:  PREL MARR PARM AM 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 002092 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR
DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISP/EURASIA (MACDOUGALL)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2014
TAGS: PREL MARR PARM AM
SUBJECT: ARMENIA'S MOD SUPPORTS BROADER, DEEPER DEFENSE
RELATIONSHIP


Classified By: Amb. John M. Evans, for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 002092

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR
DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISP/EURASIA (MACDOUGALL)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2014
TAGS: PREL MARR PARM AM
SUBJECT: ARMENIA'S MOD SUPPORTS BROADER, DEEPER DEFENSE
RELATIONSHIP


Classified By: Amb. John M. Evans, for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

Summary
--------------


1. (C) In his first meeting with the Ambassador on September
20, Armenia's Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan stated that
Armenia highly valued its developing defense relationship
with the U.S., stood ready to cooperate on an upcoming
Defense Assessment and was preparing troops for deployment to
Iraq. He expressed regret that Armenia was not able to
participate in a NATO exercise in Azerbaijan and concurred
with the Ambassador that the exercise cancellation helped
neither side. Sargsyan said that while there were few
concrete signs of progress from the Astana Summit on a
resolution of N-K, he expected President Kocharian to be
contacting President Aliyev within the next month or so to
propose next steps. End Summary.


2. (U) On September 20, the Ambassador paid his initial call
on Armenia's Defense Minister, Serzh Sargsyan. With Sargsyan
were General Mikhael Melkonyan, Head of the MOD's Department
of Foreign Relations and Military Cooperation and Colonel
Hayk Kotanjian, Advisor to the Minister of Defense. DCM,
DATT and ODC Chief accompanied the Ambassador. Press
coverage of the meeting was both positive and accurate.
After President Kocharian, Sargsyan is broadly considered to
be Armenia's most influential political figure.

Parliament to Review Iraq Deployment in November
-------------- ---


3. (C) The Ambassador opened by reviewing U.S. goals in the
South Caucasus, thanking Armenia for its contribution to the
war on terrorism and saluting Armenia's intention to deploy
troops to Iraq. Sargsyan stated that Armenia's deployment
was passing through the last stages of interagency approval,
after which the Constitutional Court would review the terms
of the planned deployment. The final package would then be
sent to the National Assembly for final approval. Sargsyan
estimated that the National Assembly would begin addressing
the issue in early November. Sargsyan acknowledged that the
deployment was a hot-button issue in Armenia, but predicted

that the National Assembly would approve the deployment. He
added that Armenia was obliged to participate in Iraq to the
extent that it is capable.

Bilateral Military Relations
--------------


4. (C) Sargsyan expressed appreciation for the developing
military relationship with the U.S. and expressed hope that
it would continue to broaden and deepen. He reiterated
Armenia's readiness to go forward with a Defense Assessment,
saying that there were "no obstacles within the framework of
the agreement," referring to limits on the assessment from
considering issues relating to Nagorno-Karabakh. Ambassador
Evans praised this step, adding that the Defense Assessment,
which the USG is preparing to conduct, was a key tool for
identifying ways to best use available resources to develop
capabilities which can be used to support shared goals.


5. (C) Sargsyan told the Ambassador he remained convinced
that the best use of FMF continued to be for the purchase of
communications equipment, a point underscored by his
government's interest in using national funds to supplement
FMF. The Ambassador said the Defense Assessment was just the
right tool for deciding how best to apply resources. ODC
Chief suggested that the current pattern of purchases did not
take into account the incomplete nature of Armenia's
communications infrastructure.


6. (C) Sargsyan expressed satisfaction at press reports that
the U.S. would maintain parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan
on Foreign Military Financing (FMF) funding levels. The
Ambassador pointed out that there had never been any thought
in Washington of upsetting the existing military balance in
the region. He noted that military assistance was a tool
intended to help potential allies develop capabilities and
reminded Sargsyan that Azerbaijan has been a key U.S. ally in
the Global War on Terrorism, with boots on the ground in
various coalition operations. Sargsyan took the point, and
said that Armenia "understands its obligations" and will keep
its agreement to deploy.

Ambassador: Nobody Won When CBE-04 Was Canceled
-------------- --


7. (C) Ambassador Evans said that the U.S. fully supported
NATO's decision to cancel Cooperative Best Effort 04 and
regretted Azerbaijan's decision to not permit Armenian
officers to travel to Baku. He noted that this was not a
cause for rejoicing, adding that it was hard to see how this
development would contribute to maintaining stability in the
months ahead. Sargsyan concurred and said he would address
this and other topics during a press conference in the near
future.

Sargsyan Not So Pessimistic on Astana
--------------


8. (C) The Ambassador asked how the GOAM saw the results of
meetings between Presidents Kocharian and Aliyev in Astana;
we were disappointed at what appeared to be a lack of
progress. Sargsyan had been briefed on the substance of the
meetings, but seemed less pessimistic about their results.
He said that it had been a good meeting; the first such
one-on-one meeting for over a year. He praised the work of
the Minsk Group and hoped that their efforts would continue.
He said that we might know more about where things were
heading "after a month or a month and a half," but gave no
specifics about what to expect. The Ambassador thanked
Sargsyan for the brief and took the opportunity that Amb.
Mann would continue to have the lead for the USG on issues
relating to N-K.
EVANS