Armenia announced today, Wednesday, that it will host joint military exercises with the United States this month, a development likely to provoke Russia's displeasure. The Armenian Ministry of Defense clarified that the aim of the "Eagle Partner 2023" exercises, which will take place from September 11 to 20, is to prepare its forces for participation in international peacekeeping missions. The ministry did not specify the number of U.S. and Armenian troops participating in the drills.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in an interview earlier this week with an Italian newspaper, stated that Russia has failed to protect Armenia from what he called "ongoing aggression from Azerbaijan." He noted that Russia's war in Ukraine means it is unable to meet Armenia's security needs.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Pashinyan's remarks yesterday, stating that he disagrees with the Armenian Prime Minister's statements. He added, "Russia is an integral part of that region. Russia plays a constant and very important role in stabilizing the situation in this area, and we will continue to play this role."
Russia has a military base in Armenia and considers itself the dominant power in the South Caucasus region, which was part of the Soviet Union until 1991. It also maintains peacekeeping forces in the area to ensure compliance with the agreement that ended the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020, marking the second such conflict since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
