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A mock refugee tent camp for refugees from various countries has been set up in Yerevan today as part of ‘Shant-2015’ command and staff exercises held in Armenia on September 3-6.

A peacekeeping brigade member, Major Edgar Khalatyan told reporters that under the scenario, the aim is to inspect actions of ministries in response to migrants’ complaints about unsatisfactory housing conditions.

During the drills a scenario of crowd management was played out. Armenian government members were present at the event.
An action plan regarding specific actions of all authorized state bodies has been developed, said Petros Aghababyan, the head of the unit for sheltering refugees of Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations (MTAES).

The head of the legal section of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office in Yerevan Ms. Kate Pochapsky said they welcome the fact that such as important issue as a large inflow of migrants has been included in the agenda of ‘Shant-2015’ drills in Armenia. She considered it important that the plan calls for participation of a large number of departments, structures, and representations of international organizations to deal with that problem.

To remind, 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.