Trust-Based Relations

On Wednesday, November 24 Zsolt Csampa, Vice-President, National Assembly Defence and Law Enforcement Committee (DLEC) received in the building of Parliament Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan, who was on an official visit in Hungary.

Zsolt Csampa told his guests it gave him great pleasure to see a Hungarian–Armenian MoU on military cooperation signed, as Defence Minister Dr. Csaba Hende and Seyran Ohanyan had put their signatures to the document in the afternoon of Tuesday, November 23 in the Ministry of Defence. The Vice-Chairman informed the Armenian Defence Minister about the work of the DLEC, also mentioning the most important decisions taken by the new MoD leadership and the ongoing debate over the Act on National Defence.

In his answer Seyran Ohanyan thanked for the warm reception he was given in Hungary, stressing that the relations between Budapest and Yerevan are excellent, which is shown by the status the Armenian community enjoys in present-day Hungarian society. “Signing the MoU yesterday was inevitable because it represents a logical sequel to our political-economic cooperation. This MoU provides a legal basis for a fully-fledged process in this field", the Defence Minister said. The two partners pointed out that through their sustained efforts the employees and officials in both Ministries of Defence had significantly contributed to achieving this goal.

Zsolt Csampa highlighted an important dimension in the bilateral relations, saying that by sharing her valuable experience, Hungary can support Armenia along the road to democratic transition and the modernization of the armed forces. He stressed that he had been long urging that officers of the Armenian armed forces may participate in NATO PfP courses. By way of example he mentioned the work at the PfP Military Language Training Centre of the Miklós Zrínyi National Defence University and the International Military Observer Course (IMOC) of the HDF Peace Support Training Centre. Mr. Csampa assured his Armenian partner that the Hungarian government and the MoD leadership were committed to the reinforcement of the armed forces, pointing to the concrete efforts to develop the volunteer reserve system and return to the previously applied “J" structure.

In his answer Seyran Ohanyan said his government would certainly seize these opportunities because Hungary had already helped Armenia by sharing a number of useful lessons learned in the above-mentioned fields. In this respect the Armenian Defence Minister pointed to the importance of civilian control over the military. “Hungary is a reliable partner, which is very important for us who live in the neighborhood of Europe.", Mr. Ohanyan said. Speaking about the volunteer reserve system, he noted that within an ongoing defence review in Armenia the experts are looking to the options of mobilizing reservists, so it makes sense to exchange experience in this field.

The Vice-Chairman of the DLEC said proper care of war graves was a priority for the Hungarian government and the Ministry of Defence. Zsolt Csampa noted that 227 former Hungarian POWs were buried in the cemetery of Gyumri, Armenia. Seyran Ohanyan added that he learnt from the representatives of the Armenian community in Hungary that Hungarian soldiers were buried at other settlements in his country, and assured his Hungarian partner that they continue to take proper care of the memorial sites. He expressed hope for having the opportunity together with the Hungarian Minister of Defence to unveil a bilingual commemorative plaque which is scheduled to be put up in Gyumri in 2011.

The agenda of the discussion included the ongoing collaboration between the MoD Military History Institute and Museum and its Armenian sister institution, and the talks revealed that both partners are committed to making further progress in this field.