Armenia, US conduct military drills, amid shifting Caucasus positions

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 Jul 2024 17:51

Armenia and the United States will hold military drills, dubbed Eagle Partner 2024, after the Pentagon halted an exercise with neighboring Georgia.

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United States soldiers take part in NATO-led Noble Partner 2017 multinational military exercises at the military base of Vaziani, outside Tbilisi, Georgia, on August 9, 2017. (AP)

Armenia hosted joint military drills with the United States on Monday, its defense ministry said.

The drills, dubbed Eagle Partner 2024, "will focus on stabilization tasks between conflicting parties during a peacekeeping mission."

Moreover, the ministry said that the exercise aims to "enhance the interoperability of units participating in international peacekeeping missions, exchange best practices in control and tactical communication, and improve the readiness of the Armenian unit."

The announcement comes after the US postponed this year's iteration of the Noble Partner exercise with Armenia's neighbor, Georgia.

Both countries, in the southern Caucasus, have witnessed shifts in their foreign policies, especially in relation to the West and Russia. While Georgia has been subject to Western pressure for its "foreign agent law", Armenia's current government has garnered the European Union (EU) and the US's sponsorship.

Armenia has been home to a permanent Russian military base and has shared close ties with Moscow, which has been a security guarantor for Yerevan in the region. However, the country has recently frozen its participation in the Moscow-led security alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). On the other hand, Russia pulled hundreds of its troops from Armenia's border in May 2024.

Accusations of neglect

Armenia's appeal for support from Russia and other CSTO members during Azerbaijan's military offensive along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in September 2022 went unanswered, prompting accusations of neglect from Armenia. However, Moscow refutes these claims.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Nikol Pashinyan's administration in March of undermining Russian-Armenian relations at the behest of Western influences.

Armenia abstained from attending a CSTO summit last year. "We believe that the CSTO did not fulfill its objectives vis-a-vis Armenia in 2021 and 2022," Pashinyan said in the interview, accusing Moscow of leading a "coordinated propaganda campaign" against him and his government.

As a signal of its aspirations for Western-backed security assurances, Yerevan is aiming to increase reliance on France and the United States, rather than on Russia.