22-MEMBER US DELEGATION VISITS ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS: The US Embassy in Yerevan told Armenpress that Adjutant General of the Kansas National Guard, Major General Tod M. Bunting, leads a delegation of Military and Civilian Leaders from Kansas visiting Armenia under the State Partnership Program.

It said a delegation of 22 military and civilian leaders is visiting Armenia from the 25th to the 30th of May, 2005, to discuss areas of possible cooperation between Kansas and Armenia under the auspices of the State Partnership Program (SPP). This is Major General Bunting’s second trip to Armenia and the first delegation to include civic leaders. Delegation members will be meeting with Armenian government officials including the Ministry of Defense, Emergency Management Administration, Ministry of Health, National Institute of Health, National Education Institute, universities, agricultural projects, law enforcement agencies, and representatives from the National Assembly.

The Kansas delegation includes state senators and representatives, members of the armed forces , and representatives involved in agriculture, law enforcement, education, media, and health. The State Partnership Program is initiated with the National Guard of a given state, with coordination provided by the Office of Defense Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy, and may include military-to-military, military-to-civilian, and civilian-to-civilian programs of cooperation.

The National Guard consists of men and women who, though working at regular civilian jobs in their home state, dedicate a part of their time to military service. Every state and territory has its own National Guard as provided by the Constitution of the United States. The Guard in each state is made up of Army National Guard and Air National Guard units. Guard units may serve to assist during natural disasters, to support regular Army or Air Force units, and, when called upon, to bear arms against their nation’s enemies. The National Guard of a given state is under the control of the governor during peacetime, yet is available to the President during national emergencies.

The State Partnership Program links National Guard states and territories with partner countries for the purpose of fostering mutual interests and establishing long-term relationships across all levels of society. The SPP between Kansas and Armenia began with initial discussions in March 2003. The Kansas-Armenia SPP was officially inaugurated during the fall of 2003. The Armenian military has asked Kansas for assistance in the two major areas: Peacekeeping Operations and Health/Medical programs. Other areas of cooperation include Emergency Management and Planning and Disaster Response. Further programs in different areas are expected to follow in time as the relationship develops and widens. This visit is a key step in that direction.