U.S. Secretary of Defence urges to renew efforts to prevent violence in Karabakh

September 16, 2010 - 16:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov have pledged to expand military cooperation.

Gates said the two accords he signed Wednesday with Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov would ensure the military chiefs meet at least once a year. He said the agreements also pave the way for more joint programs, exchanges and exercises between the two nations’ militaries. Serdyukov said he hopes his Pentagon visit — the first by a Russian defence chief in more than five years — will provide “a very powerful impetus” for improved relations between the two countries. Aides say the two men met for five hours and discussed a range of global and regional security issues as well as controversial reforms planned in both countries that aim to reduce the size of two of the world’s largest militaries. Gates and Serdyukov both used the word “painful” to describe the planned overhaul of their armed forces.

Gates has announced plans to shut redundant military commands and cut at least 50 officers and more civilian posts. Serdyukov wants even more dramatic cuts in the number of Russian officers and the size of Russia’s armed forces. In addition to efforts to streamline their respective militaries, the Russian defence minister said discussions included the sensitive issue of missile defense.

A senior defence official said Gates also thanked his counterpart for Moscow’s permission to allow the U.S. military and NATO to move troops and supplies across Russian territory for the war in Afghanistan. The deal has eased the pressure on supply routes through restive and flood-ravaged areas of Pakistan. In addition, the official says Gates expressed appreciation for Russia’s support for economic sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

Ahead of the meeting, Gates told Russia’s Interfax news agency that Moscow’s efforts to upgrade its nuclear arsenal under a new treaty posed no threat to the United States. He said modernization programs done within the terms of the treaty are “completely legitimate,” and that the U.S. will have similar efforts.

The U.S. Senate is still considering whether to ratify the new nuclear arms pact, which would replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote Thursday on ratifying the pact. The treaty would then need to be approved by two-thirds of the full Senate. The agreement cuts the maximum number of deployed warheads for each country to 1,550, which is a 30 percent reduction from a limit set 2002, VOA News reported.

Expressed concern over the situation in South Caucasus, Robert Gates urged to observe 2008 ceasefire agreement signed through the mediation of President Sarkozy. The U.S. defence official emphasized the need to renew efforts to prevent violence in Karabakh.