Inspection team of the Bundeswehr Verification Center (ZVBw), deployed in Geilenkirchen, visited Armenian Yeghvard to verify on-site elimination of 21 armored personnel carriers, German publication Aachener Nachrichten reports. Destruction of armored personnel carriers took place as part of measures to comply with provisions of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE). Commander of the center, Brigadier General Peter Braunstein, arrived to Armenia in order to personally oversee the process.
Earlier, Armenia announced through the OSCE about planned destruction of 21 armored combat vehicles. In order to achieve this goal, several parts, precisely described in the CFE, should be cut out of combat vehicles by welding torch, to exclude possibility of future use of vehicles for military purposes.
Inspectors from Geilenkirchen were instructed to ensure that all necessary technical steps were taken correctly. Only this way it's possible to certify destruction in accordance with the CFE Treaty.
By eliminating over two dozen armored personnel carriers, Armenia reduced the number of its armored combat vehicles below the limit defined in the CFE Treaty. With financial support from the NATO Trust Fund, led by Germany, 140 more military vehicles must be destroyed - this is as a sign of Germany’s commitment to peace and security in the Caucasus region. Proceeds from the sale of scrap metal will be used to help victims of mine accidents in Armenia.
