Yerevan, Armenia ? The head of the Kansas National Guard praised Armenian military personnel Saturday, as nearly two dozen military and civilians leaders from the U.S. state paid a five-day visit to the tiny Caucasus nation.

Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the guard’s adjutant general, said he was also impressed with the Armenian military’s medical corps.

The delegation, which also includes state lawmakers, was meeting with government authorities, as well as military, health and education officials.

The delegation traveled to Armenia under the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, which pairs U.S. states with different countries; Armenia has asked the Kansas guard for assistance with improving its peacekeeping and health and medical operations

The Caucasus nation has 49 bomb-disposal experts, drivers, medics and officers currently serving in Iraq as part of the U.S.-led military effort.