COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIA AND KANSAS ACTIVATED

Major General Tod M. Bunting, Adjutant General of the Kansas National Guard, is visiting Yerevan from the 25th to the 29th of May to discuss the beginning of the State Partnership Program (SPP) between Kansas and Armenia. He and his delegation will be meeting with Armenian government officials from the Ministry of Defense, Emergency Management Administration, and the Ministry of Health to discuss areas of cooperation, including peacekeeping operations, emergency management and other fields. The Partnership Program between Armenia and Kansas is initiated during the fall of 2003 when the Armenian military asked Kansas for assistance in peacekeeping operations and medical sphere. It should be noted that the National Guard is present in every US state and consists of civilians who dedicate a part of their time to military service. The Guard is used to eliminate the consequences of disasters, assisting the army and the air force and to protect the fatherland in case of need.