YEREVAN (Armenpress)–The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and First Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia Colonel-General Mikhail Harutunian–left for Istanbul on Monday to take part in a meeting of military officials–within the framework of the NATO’s "Allied Action-2003." His visit marks the first time a high ranking Armenian army official visits Turkey–in the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The multinational "Allied Action-2003" exercises began on November 3–with two thousand servicemen from seventeen NATO member-countries participating.