ARMENIA'S SOVIET-STYLE INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE A

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001330

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PGOV AM
SUBJECT: ARMENIA'S SOVIET-STYLE INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE A
POPULIST BLAST FROM THE PAST


Sensitive but Unclassified, Please Treat Accordingly.

Summary
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1. (SBU) Armenia celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of its
independence on September 21 with an over-the-top
Soviet-style display of military power in a long parade on
Yerevan's Republic Square and a host of other events
celebrating Armenia's development. Literally thousands of
soldiers and columns of vehicles passed by the tribune for
review by carefully-selected government officials and a
captive diplomatic corps desperate for shade. The
impressions made by the display varied widely: While most
expats were put off by what they viewed as a push for press
coverage by Defense Minister and presidential heir apparent
Serzh Sargsian, locals, even those with roots in the
opposition, were proud of the display of military achievement
and saw nothing inappropriate. End Summary.


2. (SBU) The last time Armenia celebrated its independence
with a military parade was in 1999; the display at that time
was considered by locals as a waste of scarce state resources
and residents of Yerevan complained bitterly about tracked
vehicles tearing up roads paved just for the occasion. This
year, Armenia's third worldwide Diaspora conference was timed
to coincide with the 15th anniversary of Armenia's
independence, and the Defense Ministry decided to pull out
all the stops.


3. (SBU) By the time Chiefs of Diplomatic Missions dutifully
assembled on a tribune just behind the main reviewing stand,
the stage of Yerevan's Republic Square was already set: row
upon row of Armenian soldiers stood at the ready, with a
military band in the center. As it waited for the parade to
begin, the Dip Corps entertained itself by reviving the study
of Kremlinology, noting who was absent from the tribunal and
who arrived last (most important). Absent was Prosecutor
General Aghvan Hovsepian and last to arrive before President
Kocharian was still the PM -- no surprises.

New From Nissan This Year: the Serzh-Mobile
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4. (SBU) Precisely at the eleventh stroke of the square's
tower clock, the band struck up and two identically-modified
Nissan SUVs approached each other from opposite ends of the
square. The "Serzh-mobiles," gleaming white with the Great
Seal of Armenia emblazoned on the doors, had their back seats
and tops removed and each had a brace with a wireless
microphone connected to the square's PA system. Minister
Sargsian and Chief of the General Staff Harutunian drove
around republic square, reviewing and addressing the troops
by unit. Each unit -- including representatives of both
Armenia's Peacekeeping Brigade and a unit from the "N-K
Defense Forces" -- responded to the Minister's greeting with
a fine Soviet "hurrah."

Russian Aircraft and "NKR" Troops Participate in Parade
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5. (SBU) When Minister Sargsian finally joined President
Kocharian on the stand, Kocharian read a brief address
praising the various achievements of independent Armenia and
the parade began. Nearly 1,500 soldiers, well equipped and
well drilled, marched past the reviewing stand,
goose-stepping in perfect time to the band, which baked under
a scorching sun. When the last marching unit had left the
square, three SU-25 ground-attack aircraft streaming smoke in
the colors of the Armenian flag roared overhead in close
formation. They were followed by a representative formation
of four Russian MiG-29 fighter aircraft and then by several
more formations of Armenian military aircraft, for a total of
13 SU-25s and 18 attack and multi-purpose helicopters,
thundering at low altitude. When the last aircraft had
passed, a stream of military vehicles, from jeeps to APC's to
rocket launchers and anti-air missiles passed in review, each
maintaining perfect interval. Our Defense Attache counted
nearly 130 wheeled vehicles, including four Chinese-made
WM-80 rocket launchers. Absent from the parade were the
tracked vehicles which would have destroyed the freshly-paved
square. The parade ended precisely at noon, when the
Diplomatic Corps was bused to Yerevan's grand cathedral to
perspire while witnessing the blessing of the Republic by
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.


6. (SBU) Reactions to the parade varied very widely. Every
non-Diaspora expat with whom we spoke was aghast at the
display. The French Ambassador -- the longest-serving
diplomat in Armenia -- agreed that the event seemed like a

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coronation of Sargsian and made Armenia look more like a
banana republic than a prospective partner of the EU.
Defense Attaches agreed that if the goal was to demonstrate
that Armenia had a well equipped and well organized force,
the parade was a success. Most puzzling for us, however,
were the universally positive reactions of all of our local
contacts. Even those associated with the opposition were
both moved and proud to see the show of force; none thought
it inappropriate, although they complained about the
exclusion from the reviewing stand of leaders of Armenia's
struggle for independence who now supported the opposition.


7. (SBU) Comment: Including in Armenia's parade both
representatives from the Defense Forces of the "NKR" and a
squadron of Russian fighter aircraft seemed to us a
deliberate signal of how integrated these forces are with
Armenia's own defense forces. Defense Minister Sargsian's
savvy use of this holiday will surely boost his personal
popularity rating as the election season continues.
GODFREY