US military exercise in Armenia ensues despite Azerbaijan's escalation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Sep 2023 20:40

The US Army announced that the US-partnered training in Armenia is unaffected by Nagorno-Karabakh clashes and will continue as planned.

A damaged residential apartment building following shelling is seen in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 (AP Photo/Siranush Sargsyan)

US-partnered training exercise in Armenia remains unaffected by renewed clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh, which erupted after Azerbaijan initiated an "anti-terrorism" operation in the region.

According to US Army Europe and Africa spokesman Terry Welch, the exercise will conclude as scheduled on Wednesday.

"Our partnered training exercise in Armenia, which met its objectives to build new relationships at the tactical level and increase interoperability for peacekeeping operations, will conclude tomorrow as scheduled," Welch stated.

Concerns about the safety of US military personnel involved in the training exercise were addressed by Welch, who said that they are not currently at risk amid the escalating situation in Nagorno Karabakh.

"We are aware of reports that Azerbaijan is conducting operations near the border of Armenia. We do not assess there to be any risk to our soldiers at this time," Welch stated.

Armenia will not be led into war

After Azerbaijan announced the operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday that Yerevan will not take any miscalculated moves in the context of the heightened tension in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Earlier today, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that Baku had initiated regional "anti-terrorist activities" within the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh area with the aim of "restoring the constitutional order." Due to a lack of military action, angered demonstrators in Yerevan blocked the Tigran Mets avenue in close proximity to the government premises amidst the mounting tension.

"We should not take any miscalculated, abrupt... steps at the moment," Pashinyan said in a video message posted on social media.

"As expected, statements are being made from various places to carry out a coup in Armenia... It is very important that the rule of law is respected in Armenia and stability is maintained since the violation of law and order and stability is the goal set by the forces seeking to act against the Republic of Armenia," he added.

In 2020, clashes erupted between the two countries and ended after a Russian-mediated ceasefire was signed in November of that year. The agreement mandated that around 2,000 Russian peacekeeping forces were to be stationed at the Lachin corridor, the only remaining passage between Armenia and the region.

So far, EU-led efforts to reach a permanent peace deal between the two countries have failed to produce any results, leaving the region mired in the shadow of impending instability and unrest.