ARMENIA AND GREECE ACTIVATE MILITARY RELATIONS
28.08.2000, MEDIAMAX, YEREVAN. The military delegation of Greece, headed by the head of the headquarters of the Greek Armed Forces, General Manusos Parayudakis, will arrive in Armenia today morning.
The main purpose of the visit of the Greek delegation is the discussion of the military-political situation in the region, exchange of opinions on the current stage of the Armenian-Greek military cooperation and the perspectives of its development.
Armenian-Greek military cooperation began on June 19, 1996, when an agreement on military cooperation was signed between Armenia and Greece during the visit of the Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian to the Athens. Despite the statement of Ter-Petrosian that the agreement is not directed against any third country, Turkish foreign ministry declared then that "the signed agreement will not only prejudice Greece and Armenia, but threaten the peace in the Caucasus as well".
In June 1999 the attention of world's leading mass media was focused on the subject of the Armenian-Greek military cooperation. On June 29, 2000 the Iranian IRNA agency reported that the Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsokhadzopulos had declared that Armenia, Greece and Iran were going to sign a trilateral agreement on cooperation in military sphere. The experts of the U.S. Statfor analytical center declared then that the Armenian-Iranian-Greek trilateral military agreement "may seriously undermine the unity of NATO and the strategy of the alliance in the Balkans and Caucasus, strengthen the tenseness between Greece and Turkey, isolate Azerbaijan and Georgia and provide Russia with a huge key factor directed against NATO ".
Soon official Yerevan and the Athens spoke with refutations. On July 5, 1999 Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said, "We don't know anything about the plans concerning Armenian-Iranian-Greek military alliance". The foreign minister of Greece Georgios Palandreu declared during his visit to Yerevan in September that Armenia, Greece and Iran are not going to make a military agreement.
The last meeting of the heads of military departments of Armenia and Greece took place in October 1999 in the Athens during the visit of the Armenian defense minister Vagharshak Harutyunian. After the negotiations his Greek counterpart Tsokhadzopulos noted that "Armenia and Greece are colliding with a foreign menace, which demands strengthening their abilities". -0-
The main purpose of the visit of the Greek delegation is the discussion of the military-political situation in the region, exchange of opinions on the current stage of the Armenian-Greek military cooperation and the perspectives of its development.
Armenian-Greek military cooperation began on June 19, 1996, when an agreement on military cooperation was signed between Armenia and Greece during the visit of the Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian to the Athens. Despite the statement of Ter-Petrosian that the agreement is not directed against any third country, Turkish foreign ministry declared then that "the signed agreement will not only prejudice Greece and Armenia, but threaten the peace in the Caucasus as well".
In June 1999 the attention of world's leading mass media was focused on the subject of the Armenian-Greek military cooperation. On June 29, 2000 the Iranian IRNA agency reported that the Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsokhadzopulos had declared that Armenia, Greece and Iran were going to sign a trilateral agreement on cooperation in military sphere. The experts of the U.S. Statfor analytical center declared then that the Armenian-Iranian-Greek trilateral military agreement "may seriously undermine the unity of NATO and the strategy of the alliance in the Balkans and Caucasus, strengthen the tenseness between Greece and Turkey, isolate Azerbaijan and Georgia and provide Russia with a huge key factor directed against NATO ".
Soon official Yerevan and the Athens spoke with refutations. On July 5, 1999 Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said, "We don't know anything about the plans concerning Armenian-Iranian-Greek military alliance". The foreign minister of Greece Georgios Palandreu declared during his visit to Yerevan in September that Armenia, Greece and Iran are not going to make a military agreement.
The last meeting of the heads of military departments of Armenia and Greece took place in October 1999 in the Athens during the visit of the Armenian defense minister Vagharshak Harutyunian. After the negotiations his Greek counterpart Tsokhadzopulos noted that "Armenia and Greece are colliding with a foreign menace, which demands strengthening their abilities". -0-
