Russia alarmed over Armenia-US military drills
- 13 September, 21:58
Armenia’s joint military drills with the United States have irked its strategic partner Russia amid the recent political tension between Moscow and Yerevan.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on September 10 described Armenia’s move as “regrettable”. “We see nothing good in the fact that an aggressive NATO country is trying to penetrate into Transcaucasia. I do not think it is good for anyone, including Armenia itself,” Lavrov said addressing a news conference on Sunday.
Earlier, on September 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Armenian envoy to protest what it described as “unfriendly steps” taken by Yerevan.
Sargis Khandanyan, head of the parliamentary commission on foreign relations, responded to Moscow’s criticism, saying that the decision to conduct exercises with the US is “Armenia’s sovereign decision” and also a result of Armenian-American deepening relations. Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Russia of failing to protect Armenia’s security, saying Yerevan made a mistake of relying entirely on Moscow for its security.
The drills titled Eagle Partner 2023 are being held at the Zar and Armavir Training Areas near Yerevan. The military exercises are held with the involvement of 85 US soldiers and 175 Armenians and will end on September 20.
The 10-day joint military exercise that started in Armenia on September 11 are being held for the country’s preparation for participation in international peacekeeping missions, according to a statement by the Armenian Defense Ministry. “The purpose of the exercise is to increase the level of interaction of the unit participating in international peacekeeping missions within the framework of peacekeeping operations, exchange of best practices in managerial and tactical communication, as well as to increase the readiness of the Armenian unit for planned assessments of the “Operational Capabilities Concept” of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program,” the ministry said.
