Kremlin warns about joint US-Armenia exercises
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The Kremlin is wary of the news that Armenia and the United States will conduct joint military exercises on Armenian territory from September 11 to 20.
“Certainly, let’s put it this way, it causes concern, especially in the current situation. Therefore, we will deeply analyze this news and monitor the situation,” Peskov said.
September 6 Armenian Defense Ministry reportedthat the Armenian-American exercises of the peacekeeping units Eagle Partner – 2023 will be held on the territory of the republic as part of preparations for participation in international peacekeeping missions. The purpose of the exercises was “to increase the level of coordination of units participating in international peacekeeping missions as part of peacekeeping operations.” Armenia also expects to increase the readiness of the Armenian peacekeepers for the planned assessments of the “Operational Capabilities Concept” of the NATO Partnership for Peace program.
This year, the exercises of the peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) “Indestructible Brotherhood – 2023” were to be held on the territory of Armenia. In January, Prime Minister of the Republic Nikol Pashinyan informedthat the country will not accept them. In addition, Pashinyan proposed replacing Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh with a UN contingent after the expiration of the Russian mandate in 2025.
This was preceded by Azerbaijan blocking the Stepanakert-Goris highway in the Lachin corridor, the only transport artery connecting the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and Armenia.
On September 3, Pashinyan, in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, said that Russia was moving away from the South Caucasus, and Russian peacekeepers did not control the Lachin corridor. The Kremlin did not agree with Pashinyan’s opinion. Peskov 5 September commentedthat Russia continues to play a consistent and very important role in stabilizing the situation in the region and “it cannot go anywhere.”
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