RA Peacekeeping Brigade Commander: Our Peacekeepers are Also Ambassodors of Armenia

• 01.28.2016, 14:39
•  Armenia,  Interview

"Armedia" IAA presents an exclusive interview with the peacekeeping brigade commander, Major General Arthur Simonyan on the 24th anniversary of the Armenian Army.

- Mr. Simonyan, it has been a long time since the armed forces are carrying out peacekeeping operations in different parts of the world. In What missions are our peacekeeping forces involved and what does our participation in those missions give us?

- As you know, today there are internal and external conflicts in various parts of the world, which are substantively different from one another and thus require different approaches and solutions. In this case, too, we are dealing with two different missions.The armed forces of the RA have been involved in international peacekeeping missions since February 2004 when a 34-member contingent of Armenian peacekeepers left for Kosovo in order to carry out a six-month peacekeeping mission there in collaboration with the Greek division. Thus, each year, so far, around 70 Armenian peacekeepers carry out their mission in Kosovo region. In January of 2005, getting the consent of Parliament to support Iraq’s post-war reconstruction process, for the first time the 45-member Armenian troop consisting of doctors, sappers and drivers traveled to Iraq together with the Polish division. Iraq's post-war rehabilitation process continued until the November of 2009, when the commander of coalition forces in Iraq decided to reduce the military mission in Iraq, leaving there only a limited number of US troops.

In January 2010, according to the government decision, the 40-member division left for Afghanistan under the command of the German Federal Republic's armed forces to participate in joint collaboration with the International Security Assistance Force mission. From 2010 until now, the peacekeepers have selflessly served in the Afghan capital, Kabul, as well as in Kunduz and Mazari Sharif cities. According to December 2015 data, around 1,540 peacekeepers have served in Afghanistan and returned to their home country. Currently there are 120 Armenian peacekeepers in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Kabul, Mazari Sharif).The next mission for Armenian peacekeepers is in Lebanon under UN’s UNIFIL mission. This was also approved by the government, and in December 2014, 32 Armenian soldiers left for Lebanon. We also have two observation missions in Mali and Lebanon.

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, participatinhg in such missions, gain international recognition and reputation, experience in peacekeeping operations, which in some cases is not inferior to the experience of combat operations. While carrying out such missions, our armed forces become also ambassadors of Armenia and present Armenian culture to their foreign companions. There have also been cases when our troops, carrying out various activities, also promoted the process of international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide.

- Will this involvement be maintained in the future as well, and if so, are there any prospects for its expansion?

- Given the increase in the number of staff, I can surely say that with this team we will continue our future engagement, and we also expect to get involved soon in other missions as well. In particular, we expect an increase in the number of military troops in Lebanon.

- As a country that took the presidency of the CSTO and a member that has a great investment in the establishment of this organization, what steps is Armenia taking towards the well-establishment of the CSTO peacekeeping forces?

- The membership to CSTO is one of Armenia's security components, which is being implemented thanks to multilateral relations between Member States. It is not a secret either that the armed forces of the RA are the most involved ones in peacekeeping operations from all CSTO member states, which the organization is very well aware of and tries to use our military experience for any occasion. 

The CSTO pays a great attention to peacekeeping. This process goes back to the 6^th of October of 2007, when CSTO Security Council gathered in the city of Dushanbe and the member states of the Organization signed the peacekeeping operation Agreement, and in 2012 the works directed to the creation of CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces were summed up. According to the plans, in order to improve the readiness of using these powers, the member states initiated a military exercise called "Indestructible Brotherhood", which is held annually in the territory of one of the Member States. "Indestructible Brotherhood 2015" took place in the Armenian Republic.

-  What would you wish the Armenian soldier on the 24th anniversary of the Army?

-  On the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Armenian Army, I would like to warmly congratulate all the peacekeepers, as well as the armed forces personnel and their families wishing a peaceful and safe service, success in both professional and personal life, as well as happiness.