Armenian peacekeepers arrive in LebanonNovember 27, 2014 - 15:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian peacekeeping platoon of 32 people has arrived for mission in Lebanon. As ARKA reported citing the press office of the Armenian ministry of defense, the platoon will be carrying out their mission as part of Italian-led UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL) to ensure respect for the safety of the UN staff. Armenia’s minister of defense Seyran Ohanyan saw off the peacekeepers in the airport on Wednesday, November 26 night, accompanied by Italian ambassador to Armenia Giovanni Ricciulli. Armenia has been contributing to international peacekeeping missions since 2004. Apart from Lebanon, Armenian peacekeepers are deployed in Kosovo and Afghanistan. On October 1, Armenia’s parliament ratified the technical agreement signed by the Armenian and Italian ministries of defense on cooperation as part of UNIFL deployed at the border with Israel as per the UN Security Council resolution of March 19, 1978. Armenian peacekeepers will be deployed in southern Lebanon, in Shalma, Italbat and Al Mansouri, and will be rotated every halfyear. Lebanon has a large Armenian community of over 100,000 people. Armenian Lebanese live mainly in Beirut and its outskirts, as well as in Metn and Zahl. Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. Russia clarifying reports on Baku’s alleged arms supply to Ukraine Russia says is carefully working to verify reports about alleged arms supplies from Azerbaijan to Ukraine CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. |