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Political analyst: new defense minister should represent Armenia properly in western countries and work intensively with Russia

04.10.2016, 13:58
Alexander Iskandaryan, the head of the Caucasus Institute, commenting on Monday’s appointment of Vigen Sargsyan as Armenian defense minister, said that the defense minister should be able to represent Armenia properly in western countries and to work intensively with Russia along with that.

Political analyst: new defense minister should represent Armenia properly in western countries and work intensively with Russia
YEREVAN, October 4. /ARKA/. Alexander Iskandaryan, the head of the Caucasus Institute, commenting on Monday’s appointment of Vigen Sargsyan as Armenian defense minister, said that the defense minister should be able to represent Armenia properly in western countries and to work intensively with Russia along with that.

In an interview with Novosti Armenia, Iskandaryan said that Armenia cooperates with Russia, buys ammunition mostly from Russia and in the Collective Security Treaty Organization it deals mainly with Russia. 

“Vigen Sargsyan has experience in interaction with Russian politicians and military authorities,” he said. “The appointment of Vigen Sargsyan shows that this cooperation is taken seriously.”

Iskansaryan finds interesting also the appointment of Movses Hakobyan as chief of the General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces. 

“This is a dream ticket,” he said in his interview. “It is clear that after the April escalation certain conclusions are being made and certain changes are being made in the defense ministry, just like in the entire defense scheme. They are connected with armament supply, the military parade on September 21, changes in personnel and changes of things on the border.”

Iskandaryan said that a classic western configuration has been used in these appointments – the minister is a political figure co-opted into the defense ministry by the political leadership, and on the other side, he is balanced by Movses Hakobyan, a lifetime military man. 

In his opinion, the new minister has merits of a quite smart consensual person, who is able to accomplish certain functions, including those connected with negotiation processes, and this is very important.  

“On the other side, military building is an important part of the present security scheme, and training of specialists and officers is needed here as well, and the chief of the General Staff will be doing it,” Iskandaryan said. 

Besides, he said, not only in the classic western picture, but also in the Armenian history, the military ministry’s civilian officials were quite successful. 
As examples, Iskandaryan pointed out Vazgen Manukyan, Vazgen Sargsyan and Serzh Sargsyan and added that there is a serious sense in the well-known statement: “War is too important to be left to the generals”. 

“After all, politicians’ mentality differs from that of military people – it is a little wider,” he said. --0---