unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (10/11/89)
DOD: JOINT CONFERENCE WITH SECDEF AND SOVIET MOD YAZOV
Posting Date: 10/09/89
UNITEX Network, USA ISSN: 1043-7932
Joint News Conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney
Soviet Minister of Defense Dmitriy T. Yazov At the Pentagon
Friday, October 6, l989 - l:30 p.m.
Secretary Cheney: Ladies and Gentlemen, the purpose of our
gathering thi afternoon, of course, is to spend a few minutes in
a press briefing with Gener Yazov, the Minister of Defense of
the Soviet Union, and myself. We will each make statements and
then take questions. We have provided for translation.
At the conclusion of our joint press conference, because I
understand there are a number of other questions of some
interest to the press these days once our guest has departed,
I'll be happy to stay and take questions on other topics. But I
would ask you for this first segment with the two of us, to
focus specifically upon the General's visit, U.S.-Soviet
relations. As I say, I'll make myself available to you once
he's completed, to answer other questio
I won't recount all of the events that we participated in this
week. We spent a good deal of time together on Monday and
Tuesday, and since then Gener Yazov has been traveling the
country. I will simply say that I've been very pleased with
this series of meetings. I think the military-to-military
contac between the United States military officials at the
Secretarial level and at the senior officer level have been very
productive.
We discussed a wide range of issues affecting the military
relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, and
had the opportunity, I think, to mutually enhance our
understanding of one another's security requirements.
I hope Minister Yazov and his colleagues enjoyed the visit as
much as we enjoyed serving as their host.
Minister Yazov: Thank you.
Ladies and Gentlemen, first of all, I would like to tell you that
my meet and conversations with the U.S. President George Bush
and the U.S. Secretary o Defense, Mr. Cheney, made the major
content of my work here.
The primary thought of our conversation was devoted to how to
bulid friendship, develop mutual understanding, and increase our
relationships in other ways between our two militaries and
between our two nations. It is impossible to build up trust
without looking at each other, without meeting with each other,
and without talking to each other.
It is only as a result of regular conferences and meetings that
we manage to reach agreement on the INF Treaty. The talks
between the Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, Eduard
Shevardnadze, and the Secretary of State Baker gav a significant
push to the ongoing talks on START and on conventional forces in
Europe.
This visit of ours which is going on now is a continuation of the
meeting between our two sides, and it provides for promoting
understanding. It helps our nations understand each other
better. Of course, it is essential today that the
representatives of our two militaries meet with each other,
should be engaged in frequent exchanges, and should become more
open towards each other.
Last year, the Secretary of Defense went on a visit to the Soviet
Union. Earlier this year, the Chairman of the JCS, Admiral
Crowe, visited the Soviet Union. We did our best to show the
American military delegation that we are prepared to carry on
the dialogue with the United States in order to strengthe
relationships and friendships.
Based on the atmosphere of openness and glastnost, thanks to
Secretary Cheney, this program of the tour of the United States
was drawn up and we completed it. We visited the state of
California. We visited San Diego. We were hosted by Pacific
Fleet Commander, Admiral Jeremiah, as well as we were hosted by
Vice Admiral Kihune. We saw a very interesting exercise the
observed how the U.S. Marines are being trained.
Then we proceeded to visit the Luke Air Force Base in the state
of Arizon At that base, the U.S. Air Force pilots showed very
high training standards, flying the modern F-16 aircraft. That
was an unforgettable show. What's more we were allowed to see
all of the military hardware which is now in service with the
U.S. Air Force.
Yesterday afternoon, we arrived at Fort Bragg in the state of
North Carol LTG Steiner this morning staged an exercise with an
element of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. We know this
division when we recall the years of the 2nd World War when that
division took part in the Normandy invasion operation. We were
greatly satisfied by the way the paratroopers of the 82nd
Airborne operat by the way they handled their standard equipment
and weapons, and the tactics they employed and the power they
showed struck us immensely.
I believe exchanges like these between both of our sides
contribute to building up our mutual understanding, and we
agreed with Secretary Cheney that an additional plan of mutual
exchanges would be drawn up for the year of 1990. Those
exchanges would allow us to have more and more representatives of
our tw militaries involved in the process of meeting with each
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