Armenia said on Wednesday it would host a joint military exercise with the United States next week, a development that Russia said was cause for concern.
The Armenian Defence Ministry said the purpose of the Sept. 11-20 “Eagle Partner 2023” exercise was to prepare its forces to take part in international peacekeeping missions.
A U.S. military spokesperson said 85 US soldiers and 175 Armenians would take part. He said the Americans - including members of the Kansas National Guard which has a 20-year-old training partnership with Armenia - would be armed with rifles and would not be using heavy weaponry.
They were never worried about their own security. What NATO et al. are threatening is their ability to blackmail the neighbors.