UKRAINE TO HELP LATVIAN ARMY.

At a meeting in Riga, the Ukrainian and Latvian defense ministers Valery Shmariv and Maris Gailis agreed that Ukraine will extend material and technical assistance to Latvia’s army and help to train Latvian officers and military specialists. Latvia would defray the costs by delivering to Ukraine processed agricultural goods and fuel (presumably reexported). The ministers signed a protocol on cooperation among the two defense ministries. Shmariv underscored that bilateral military cooperation does not mean the formation of a military bloc. (9)

Having inherited from the former USSR a massive military establishment and military industry, Ukraine is well placed to assist in the formation of the armies of the post-Soviet independent countries. Moldova concluded a comprehensive agreement on military cooperation with Ukraine back in 1993. Recently Turkmenistan said that it hoped to develop its army with Ukrainian assistance.

Ukrainian, Kazakh Presidents Concerned over CIS Direction.