Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan, now in the U.S. on a working visit, toured the National Guard Training Center in Salina, Kansas.

Papikyan, accompanied by Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Lilit Makunts, met with Kansas Adjutant General and Commander of the Kansas National Guard Major General David Weishaar.

Armenia signed a bilateral affairs agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense and the State of Kansas in 2003 establishing the Kansas-Armenia State Partnership Program.  Under the program, the Kansas National Guard works closely with the Armenian Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Emergency Situations, and other governmental offices and agencies. Types of cooperation include military-to-military, military-to-civilian, and civilian-to-civilian events.

Since the beginning of the partnership in 2003, Armenia and the State of Kansas have engaged in a number of military, emergency preparedness, law enforcement, business, medical, public health, educational, and humanitarian exchanges.

As the adjutant general, Weishaar oversees the activities of the Adjutant General’s Department. This includes providing personnel administration and training guidance for more than 7,700 soldiers and airmen in the Kansas Army and Air National Guard. As the director of Kansas Emergency Management, a division of the Department, he is guiding a small professional core of personnel that prepare for and respond to disasters.