ArmInfo.Levon Ayvazyan, Head of the Defense Policy Directorate of the Armenian Defense Ministry of Armenia, took part in discussions on preparations for the meeting of defense ministers to be held in March 2019 within the framework of the UN conference on peacekeeping activities.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, the initiative to hold a conference on peacekeeping was launched in 2015, and countries that provide significant assistance in the implementation of UN missions will take part in it. Armenia is also included in the conference, taking into account its contribution to the implementation of peacekeeping activities since 2002, recognition as a professional and reliable partner in carrying out missions to ensure international security and peace, and the fulfillment of instructions by the republic to train the two most popular units - the field hospital and the engineer company.
Within the framework of the conference, meetings at the level of heads of defense ministries are held periodically. In this format, the defense ministers of about 75 states of the world take part in it. In Montevideo, during discussions on the preparation for the conference, important issues on the agenda were raised, in particular, the criteria for preparing the peacekeeping forces, the procedure for preparing the reserve, and reforming the peacekeeping system. It was also stressed that Armenia continues to make efforts to develop the capabilities of the national system for training peacekeepers, as well as areas of training for peacekeepers of the two units.