Washington briefing: Pentagon’s regional manager makes fist Armenia trip

by Emil Sanamyan

Published: Friday December 04, 2009

Celeste Wallander. Melik Baghdasarian / Photolure.

Celeste Wallander, deputy assistant secretary of defense in charge of U.S. defense policy in Eurasia, discussed bilateral cooperation with Armenian officials on December 2-3.

Ms. Wallander also praised Armenia's plans to deploy a peacekeeping unit in Afghanistan early next year.

On her visit to Azerbaijan on November 22-23, Ms. Wallander reportedly reiterated comments first made by Vice President Dick Cheney last year that prioritized "territorial integrity" in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Armenia took issue with that language at the time and Obama administration officials have returned to more neutral rhetoric since then.

Ms. Wallander refused to take media questions while in Armenia.