Amid ongoing tensions with Russia, Armenia has announced joint military exercises with the US for next week. The Kremlin called the announcement “worrying”.
A maneuver between Armenia and the USA planned for the beginning of next week is causing resentment in the Kremlin. Such news would cause concern – especially in the current situation, said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia will follow further developments very closely.
The military exercise “Eagle Partner 2023” is scheduled to start next Monday and last ten days. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, the maneuver includes conflict stabilization operations in the fulfillment of peacekeeping missions.
According to the US military, 85 American and 175 Armenian soldiers will take part. The participants are only armed with rifles – no heavy weapons are used. The maneuver is therefore relatively small.
Russia sees itself as a regulatory power
The anger in the Kremlin is due to the fact that Russia sees itself as the regulatory power in the region. Moscow maintains a military base in Armenia and is supposed to monitor a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan with peacekeeping troops. The two countries have been fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region for decades.
Recently, the situation came to a head again: There was an exchange of fire with dead and injured. According to observers, the supply of food and medicine is also catastrophic in Nagorno-Karabakh. For a few days now, bread has only been handed out against ration coupons.
Armenian criticism of Russia
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is clearly disappointed with Russia’s role in the conflict. In an interview with the Italian newspaper “La Republicca” over the weekend, he accused Moscow of not adequately guaranteeing his country’s security needs. The security partnership exclusively with Russia is a strategic mistake.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov immediately dismissed the criticism, saying that Russia is an absolutely integral part of this region and plays a very important role in stabilizing the situation there. And you will continue to play this role.