NATO Advisory Team Visits Armenia

From August 19 to 22, a NATO team providing advisory support to the Armenian Ministry of Defense on defense education development and reinforcing good governance visited Armenia.

The Ministry of Defense of Armenia reports that the purpose of the visit was to participate in the launch of a pilot program on "Good Governance and Integrity" in the military educational institutions of the Ministry and to conduct professional discussions.

Representatives from the corresponding divisions of the Armenian Ministry of Defense, as well as the leadership and faculty of the Vazgen Sargsyan Military University and Marshal Armenak Khanperyants Military Aviation University, engaged with the advisory group.

On August 19, Colonel Alexander Avetisyan, the head of the Human Rights and Integrity Center of the Ministry of Defense, welcomed the advisory team. Issues related to the current status of the self-assessment process for NATO's integrity enhancement program and the organization of upcoming events within that framework were discussed.

NATO representatives noted with satisfaction the progress recorded during the self-assessment process and expressed their willingness to expand cooperation in this direction.

On August 20 and 21, the advisory group visited military educational institutions where the pilot program for "Good Governance and Integrity" commenced for first-year cadets in the 2019 academic year. Meetings were held with the leadership of the military educational centers and those responsible for the educational process.

The visit of the advisory group was concluded with a meeting with representatives of the corresponding divisions of the Ministry of Defense, during which the sides agreed on further plans and guidelines for cooperation between NATO's advisory group and Armenia’s military educational institutions.

The Armenian Police also expressed interest in the implementation of the "Good Governance and Integrity" subject in specialized educational institutions and in cooperating with NATO in this direction. During the visit, the Ministry of Defense facilitated meetings for the advisory group within police system institutions.