Seyran Ohanyan Says Possible Threats Observed in Strategic Process of Defense Review

YEREVAN, JUNE 30, ARMENPRESS: The final session of the RA inter-institutional committee for the coordination of defense strategic review was held today. The results of the committee's activities in the direction of strategic review were presented at the session.

According to Arthur Baghdasaryan, secretary of the RA National Security Council, the specifications of the RA defense system are connected with the difficult geopolitical conditions Armenia faces; therefore it needs to have a well-armed army. "Our army has been formed during the war we were obliged to fight and under the conditions of rise of the national-liberation spirit, so it is necessary to improve our armed forces and make it correspond to the current conditions," he said.

As to the committee's activities, Arthur Baghdasaryan said in the result of the review Armenia's defense system walks in line with time. "This is a continuous process and all the stakeholders will be involved in it," he said.

RA Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan expressed gratitude to the members of the inter-institutional committee and the international experts from US, UK, Russia and mentioned that the 2.5 years' activity now gives its results. He says in the 21st century the security system is the complex capacity of ensuring diplomatic, military, economic and information security.

According to the minister, all the possible threats, including the inner instability, possibility of foreign large-scale war and technical disasters, and right up to issues of the decreasing demography, were observed in the strategic process of defense review. "A large-scale analysis of all these issues was carried out stemming from the position that the current status quo on the Nagorno Karabakh issue will remain unchanged till 2015," the minister said. "Our main aim was to transmit features of "intelligent armed forces" to our armed forces".

The minister awarded medals, certificates and diplomas to 40 specialists for their investment in the defense strategic review. The non-secret part of the review is placed on the Defense Ministry's website.