US to hold joint military exercises with Armenia next week
Armenia has announced that a joint military exercise with the United States (US) will be held next week. The "Eagle-Joint 2023" exercise will take place between September 11-20.The aim of the exercise is to prepare the Armenian army to participate in international peacekeeping missions, according to the ministries.
Armenia and the United States (US) will conduct a joint exercise "Eagle-Joint 2023" on September 11 to 20, the Armenian Ministry of Defence announced.
The defense ministry stated that the aim of the exercise is to prepare the Armenian army to participate in international peacekeeping missions.
No information on the number of troops participating in the exercise was shared. It is stated that Russia, which maintains its influence in the South Caucasus, will be uncomfortable with the exercise.
'RUSSIA IS INTEGRAL PART OF REGION'
Russia, which has a military base in Armenia, sees itself as the leading power in the South Caucasus region, which was part of the Soviet Union until 1991. Russia also maintains a peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh, where the crisis between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues.
In an interview with an Italian newspaper over the weekend, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stated that Russia had failed to protect Armenia against Azerbaijan. Pashinian stated that Russia's war in Ukraine meant that it could not meet all of Armenia's security needs.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters yesterday that he disagreed with Pashinian's remarks.
"Russia is an integral part of this region. It also plays an important role in stabilizing the situation in the region," Peskov said.
Source: Ihlas News Agency
