YEREVAN. - Defense Minister of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan and U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills on Friday attended the construction kick-off of Zar Military Training Facility of Armenia’s Defense Ministry. The construction is co-funded by the US side.

Minister Sargsyan and Ambassador Mills also toured the military training facility, getting acquainted with the work in progress.

In his speech, Sargsyan referred to the Armenian-American relations, stressing that in the conditions of the high level of political relations between the two countries, during the recent years different programs have been successfully implemented and continue to be implemented within the framework of cooperation in the defense sphere.

“Thanks to the support of our American partners, the training facility of the Armenian peacekeeping forces will be completely reconstructed and acquire new look in the coming months. This is another indication of active and productive cooperation between Armenia and US in the defense sphere. After the capital repairs of Zar military training facility and technical equipment, our peacekeepers will be able to train and prepare for their missions in improved conditions corresponding to the modern standards,” the Minister said, thanking the Armenian Government, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District and U.S. Embassy in Armenia, as well as the military attaché office for their efforts.

Ambassador Mills, for his part, noted that the program is one of the latest manifestations of age-long close Armenian-American friendship. According to him, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and U.S. One of the pivotal cornerstones of this friendship is the military cooperation and the ties formed on the ground of confidence between the countries’ defense institutions, he noted.

Zar military training center is the main training subdivision of the Armenian Defense Ministry peacekeeping brigade.