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Under supervision of officials of Armenia’s Defense Ministry and Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations (MTAES), people will be evacuated from the buildings of the Matenadaran Museum of Ancient Manuscripts and the National Art Gallery in Yerevan today as part of Shant-2015 strategic command and staff exercises being held in Armenia on September 3-6, Defense Ministry’s spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan told a press conference today.

He said that according to the scenario, additional beds for imaginary wounded people will be put in Erebuni medical center of Yerevan and the hospital in Artashat.

Also, based on the scenario, there will be a procession of 30 buses in Republic Square at 6:00 pm today for imaginary evacuation of residents, and the imposition of a curfew will be staged in Yerevan’s Avan administrative district.

The ministry spokesman said yesterday that information about the so-called ‘evacuation’ of the population from border areas was not true, but all measures are part of the drills. “Thus, a large training base will be set up in Tavush province, space will be allocated for beds, and some evacuation zones established, that is, preparations for evacuation in case of a war,” Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on September 3.

As was reported, during a briefing held on September 2 by Armenian Defense Ministry’s Defense Policy Department, Yerevan-based military attaches of foreign states and representatives of international organizations were provided with information about ‘Shant-2015’ military command and staff exercises due in Armenia on September 3-6. Officials of Armenian Defense Ministry said that Shant-2015 are planned military exercises of all-republican significance and aim to check the mobilization readiness of state and military command bodies in the process of the state’s immediate preparations for defense and repulsion of an aggression, the ability to bring forces into a higher level of readiness, and to raise the level of interaction and coordination of actions. Those present were told that given the military-political situation around Armenia and in adjacent territories, the enemy and the situation in the drills’ fictional scenario were maximally brought into line with reality.

On the evening of September 3, Armenian President, Chairman of Armenia’s National Security Council Serzh Sargsyan convened a mock emergency sitting of the National Security Council to provide information about the situation developing around Armenia in recent days according to the scenario of the exercises, the presidential press service reported. Reports stemming from the imaginary situation were made at the sitting, and proposals were put forward. The responsible officials of state agencies received instructions relevant to the scenario. The president underlined the importance of the drills in terms of taking prompt and efficient actions in particular situations and inspecting the state bodies’ capabilities and preparedness for such situations.