Greek Army has installed temporary modular bridges Bailey M2 in Armenia.
The installation of the Bailey bridges was carried out at the request of Armenia through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism and following a meeting between the Minister of National Defense of Greece, Nikos Dendias, and his Armenian counterpart, Suren Papikyan, in Washington (4/12/2024).
The Bailey bridges were installed in areas of the LORI Region of northern Armenia, which were affected by unprecedented floods in May 2024. Specifically, the first bridge was installed in the village of KARKOP (on the DEBED River) and the second was installed in the village of HOBARDZI (on the smaller GARGAR River). The installation of a third bridge remains in the village of AYRUM, also on the DEBED River and a short distance from KARKOP.
It is noted that there has been a Greek presence in the affected area since the 19th century, especially in the town of ALAVERDI, which is also the seat of the Greek community.
An eight-member team of engineers from the Construction and Natural Disaster Response Administration (DIKAFKA) of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS) participated in the operation, in collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by its Commander, Lieutenant General Michael Klouvas .
The 200-meter-long bridge was disassembled from the area of Sindos (Thessaloniki) and was part of the road network of the Prefecture of Thessaloniki until 1990, when it was replaced by a new bridge, made of concrete.
The Greek Ministry of Defense (MoD) states that “the mission, in addition to its humanitarian aspect and assistance to the friendly people of Armenia, also constitutes cooperation within the framework of Civil Protection, at a time when the climate crisis is becoming increasingly evident.”