No concrete decision on sending Armenian peacekeepers to Lebanon: ministry of defense
17.12.2013,
11:50
No concrete decision has been made yet about sending Armenian peacekeepers to Lebanon, Armenia’s defense minister Seyran Ohanyan said as quoted by Novosti-Armenia.
YEREVAN, December 17. /ARKA/. No concrete decision has been made yet about sending Armenian peacekeepers to Lebanon, Armenia’s defense minister Seyran Ohanyan said as quoted by Novosti-Armenia.
The minister said the negotiations on the issue are under way.
“We are fully ready for participation. In June we had the respective talks with the Italian side about involving two Armenian peacekeeping platoons in Italian-led United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon”, Ohanyan said.
The minister also said 156 servicemen of the 12th peacekeeping brigade of Armenia’s Armed Forces are currently involved in international operations, of them 121 in Afghanistan and 35 servicemen in Kosovo.
The UN Interim Force is currently deployed in southern Lebanon, at the border with Israel, as per the UN Security Council resolution of March 19 1978.
Armenian Lebanese community (over 100,000 people) is one of the most organized Armenian communities in the world. Armenian Lebanese live mainly in Beirut and suburbs, as well as in Metn and Zahl. There are Armenian educational institutions and mass media outlets in Lebanon. Armenians hold two ministerial posts in the current Lebanese cabinet and six seats in the parliament. –0--
