Armenia and China to Cooperate in the Field of Strategic Studies

YEREVAN (Armradio) — On 8 June 2017, the National Defense Research University of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia (NDRU, MoD, RA) hosted the newly-appointed Military and Air Attaché of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the RA, Senior Colonel Zhan Fenghua. The guest was welcomed by the Head of the NDRU, Doctor of Political Science, Professor, Lieutenant-General Hayk Kotanjian. The meeting was also attended by the NDRU Deputy Head for Research – Head of the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), PhD in History Benyamin Poghosyan and NDRU INSS Research Fellow, PhD in Economics Azat Davtyan.

At the beginning of the meeting, Lieutenant-General Hayk Kotanjian congratulated the Military Attaché for taking up his new position, wishing him every success during his service in Armenia. Dr. Kotanjian presented the steps taken towards the establishment of cooperation between the NDRU and similar institutions of China, particularly touching upon the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the NDRU and the China Institute for International Strategic Studies (CIISS).

The basis for cooperation between the two institutions was laid in 2014 during the visit of NDRU’s Head Hayk Kotanjian to the CIISS. The MOU was signed during the visit of NDRU’s Deputy Head for Research Benyamin Poghosyan to Beijing in October 2016, when he participated in an international conference organized by the CIISS.

Another example of the establishment of cooperation between the NDRU and similar institutions of China is the arrangement for signing a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Xian Institute of Contemporary International Studies (XICIS), which was reached during the NDRU INSS Research Fellow Azat Davtyan’s visits of October 2016 to Xian and of April 2017 to Beijing.

During the meeting, Senior Colonel Zhan Fenghua highlighted the cooperation between the NDRU and the CIISS, as well as the XICIS, expressing confidence that it would further deepen the relations between the two nations.