|
Back to Embassy Press Realeases Embassy of the Republic of Armenia Armenian Defense Minister Continues U.S. Visit On March 20, 2002, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsian, currently in the United States on a working visit, met with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and other Pentagon officials. Secretary Rumsfeld hosted an honor cordon to welcome Serge Sargsian to the Pentagon. Minister Sargsian's agenda during his visit in the United States includes consultations on U.S.-Armenian security, military, and political cooperation, Armenia's assistance to the international campaign against terrorism, as well as allocation of the U.S. military assistance to Armenia in FY 2002. These issues and other topics of mutual interest were discussed during Minister Sargsian's meetings at the Pentagon. U.S.-Armenian consultations continued in working groups with participation by the Pentagon and Armenian Ministry of Defense (MOD) officials. Later in the day, Serge Sargsian also met with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Lincoln Bloomfield, and attended a reception in his honor at the U.S. Congress, jointly hosted by the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Affairs and the U.S. Department of Defense. During his meetings, Minister Sargsian was accompanied by Deputy Defense Minister Maj.-Gen. Artur Aghabekian, Deputy Foreign Minister Tatul Margarian, and Armenian Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Arman Kirakossian. The Armenian delegation comprised of high-ranking Foreign Ministry and
MOD officials arrived in the United States on March 18, in New York, where
Minister Sargsian laid a wreath at the World Trade Center site destroyed
during the September 11 terrorist attack last year. On March 19, Serge
Sargsian met with Washington, DC-area Armenian-American community activists
during the reception held at the Armenian Embassy. The Minister's working
visit will wrap up on March 23. |