ArmInfo."We continually train and work with our partners to ensure readiness and continually improve operational cooperation between our armed forces," the U.S. Embassy in Armenia said in response to a request from RFE/RL's Armenian servic.
Answering the question "whether the Armenian-American military exercises, which will take place in Armenia on September 11-20, are the first in the history of independent Armenia, or were there other military exercises, apart from the military exercises conducted within NATO," the embassy emphasized: <Armenia is a long-standing partner of the United States and has had a strong partnership with the Kansas National Guard since 2003 through the Department of Defense State Partnership Program. American and Armenian units participated in joint military exercises in Armenia, the United States and other countries, and such exercises were held in Armenia in 2003, 2006 and 2008>.
"In the framework of preparation for participation in international peacekeeping missions the Armenia-U.S. joint exercise "EAGLE PARTNER 2023" will be held from 11 to 20 September in Armenia, particularly in "Zar" Training Center of the Peacekeeping Brigade and the N Training Center of the Ministry of Defense," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
However, information about the upcoming Armenian-American military exercises caused concern in Moscow. Commenting on the upcoming exercises in a conversation with reporters, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that Moscow proceeds from the fact that members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should adhere to the practice of exercises with their allies. Spokespersonof the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said that Armenia's intention to conduct joint exercises with the United States is cause for concern.