abstract: This article represents a part of a larger study that examines the relevance of the Western (NATO) standards to the process of Armenian defense transformation.In particular, it pays close attention to the democratic values of the Alliance and the degree of their practical application by the partner country within the respective cooperation agenda.The interplay of strategic mutual interests as the motivating force for NATO's conditionality and Armenia's compliance is reviewed closely, as are the 
journal: Connections The Quarterly Journal