Armenia is set to host a joint military exercise with the United States next week, a development that Russia said was cause for concern.
The Armenian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday the purpose of the September 11-20 Eagle Partner 2023 drills was to prepare its forces to take part in international peacekeeping missions.
Earlier this year, Armenia refused to host military drills by the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a Russian-led alliance of post-Soviet countries, reflecting Yerevan’s growing tensions with Moscow.
Despite the small scale of this week’s exercise, the Kremlin said it would be watching closely.
Russia has a military base in Armenia and sees itself as the pre-eminent power in the South Caucasus region, which until 1991 was part of the Soviet Union.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a weekend interview that Russia had failed to protect Armenia against what he called continuing aggression from oil-rich Azerbaijan.
Credit: aljazeera.com
