YEREVAN — China agreed to provide Armenia with 5 million yuan (US $830,000) in military aid per year, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
A cooperation agreement was signed by Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and Chinese Minister of National Defense Gen. Chang Wanquan Dec. 26 during the former’s official visit to Beijing. The discussed topics included military cooperation in training and technical assistance, the statement said.
Ohanyan said relations with China are a priority for Armenia’s foreign policy, and Yerevan aims to enhance military cooperation with Beijing in various fields, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.
The Armenian Ministry of Defense added that the two sides also pledged to enhance collaboration in areas related to military medicine, education, and training, as well as military-technical co-operation.
During his visit, Ohanyan met with senior Chinese military officials, including Deputy Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Gen. Xu Qiliang. In addition, the Armenian minister visited a number of military units of the People’s Liberation Army and headquarters of Chinese defense companies, according to Armenia’s MoD.
The latest agreement is part of China’s wider efforts to boost ties with Armenia. In 2012, Beijing agreed to provide Yerevan with 70 million yuan in grants under an economic and technical partnership agreement.
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Armenia’s relations with china is a positive step in our country’s foreign relations. we need Russia, Iran and china to be supportive of Armenia, some of the so-called western powers show more support for the azeri’s and turks while claiming to be for democracy. —-mitch kehetian