Armenia and US to Hold Joint Exercises

The Armenian-American military exercises, Eagle Partner 2023, will be held in Armenia from September 11 to 20. It is noted that the joint training will be held within the framework of preparation for participation in international peacekeeping missions based on the training center "Zar" of the peacekeeping brigade of the Armenian Defense Ministry.

According to the Pentagon, the purpose of the exercise is to increase the level of interaction between units participating in international peacekeeping missions within the framework of peacekeeping operations, exchange experience in the field of command and control and tactical communications, as well as to increase the readiness of the Armenian unit for planned assessments of the "Operational Capabilities Concept" of NATO's "Partnership for Peace" program.

85 American and 175 Armenian servicemen will participate in joint exercises between Armenia and the United States. According to the Pentagon, the US contingent participating in the exercise will also include members of the Kansas National Guard, which has been cooperating with Armenia for 20 years. The US military will use small arms during the exercises, and no heavy equipment is planned, the US Defense Ministry said.

On September 6, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Armenia's intention to hold military exercises with the USA is worrisome. "Undoubtedly, it raises wariness, especially in the current situation," the Kremlin Spokesman said.

Armenia’s First Lady Visits Ukraine for Humanitarian Meeting

On September 6, the Armenian Prime Minister's wife, Anna Hakobyan, participated in the annual "Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen" in Kyiv, which is held for the third year in a row on the initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska. The summit was attended by wives and husbands of the leaders of Great Britain, Japan, Turkey, Spain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Israel, and several other countries, high-ranking women officials of the European Union, famous journalists, and actors.

Anna Hakobyan stated that the day began with a visit to the Children Martyrs exhibition, where they honored the memory of the children who died in this war. "As I mentioned in my speech at the Women Political Leaders 2023 conference in Brussels this June, some 500 children have been killed in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. Today, we have learned that the youngest of them was two days old, and the oldest was 17 years old," Hakobyan said. According to her, children who have become martyrs in wars are a failure for all of us adults, an unforgivable, irreparable failure.

It should be noted that Anna Hakobyan's visit to Kyiv and the joint military exercises between Armenia and the United States are taking place against the backdrop of a sharp aggravation of relations between Yerevan and Moscow.