ArmInfo.

Founder of the Armenian Institute of International Affairs and Security Stepan Safaryan in his  interview to  ArmInfo discusses the latest geopolitical trends around Armenia. He shares the most likely versions of the prospects for Armenia's relations with the European Union, the situation surrounding the Karabakh settlement. Comments on the latest trends in the domestic political arena of Armenia. 

ArmInfo."Our armed forces participate in a number of exercises every year, including in the events of the CSTO, and in some we do not have time to participate,"  Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan said on September 13 from the rostrum  of the National Assembly of Armenia.

ArmInfo.Speculations about Armenia's refusal to participate at the last moment in NATO's Agile Spirit 2017 exercise are inappropriate. This is stated in the  statement of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, received in ArmInfo. 

ArmInfo.Armenia is an independent state, and can independently decide in which exercises to participate, and in which there is not. A spokesman for the ARF  Dashnaktsutyun party bureau Hrant Margaryan commented on the refusal  of Armenia to participate in the NATO exercises in Georgia.

ArmInfo.There is no political implication in the non- participation of the Armenian armed forces in the multinational military exercises of NATO Agile Spirit  2017. Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakaryan stated this in  a conversation with journalists.

ArmInfo. The Armenian delegation headed by the Chief of the Air Defense Forces of Armed Forces, Colonel Armen Vardanyan will take part in the meeting of the  Air Defense Coordination Committee under the Council of CIS Defense  Ministers and in the joint trainings "Combat Commonwealth 2017" in  Moscow and Astrakhan from September 4 to 6.

ArmInfo. Ambassadors of different states in Armenia from time to time make statements on various issues, and they are different from the point of view of  diplomatic ethics. Such an opinion was expressed on August 28 at a  press conference in Yerevan by the director of the Caucasus Institute  Alexander Iskandaryan, referring to the statement of US Ambassador  Richard Mills concerning the fact that the US wants to give Armenia  tools to continue making sovereign decisions.

ArmInfo.Armenia is doing a good job balancing relations with all its neighbors, including with Russia and Iran, as well as with the United States and the European  Union, US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills said in an interview with Radio Liberty in response to a question about how the tension in the Russian-American relations affected the relations of the US with Armenia.

His Excellency Timur Urazaev, the  Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan Republic  in Armenia in his interview to ArmInfo  speaks about  the results of 25-year-long Armenian-Kazakh relations, prospects for economic and political cooperation between  two countries, shares Kazakhstan's experience in implementing the largest economic transit projects on its territory. Enumerates the foreign policy, economic and civilizational priorities of his country, talks  about the place and role of Kazakhstan in the modern international system of political coordinates.

ArmInfo. Participation of Armenia in NATO trainings  taking place in Georgia is dictated by the need to deepen cooperation with the West in the field of security.  The director of Center for Regional Studies Richard Kirakosyan expressed this opinion to ArmInfo.

ArmInfo. Visit of the Minister of Regional Cooperation of Israel Tsakhi Anegbi to Armenia - clarification of positions, perhaps an invitation to a systemic  dialogue on economic and security issues. This opinion was voiced by  the Russian analyst, expert in the South Caucasus Sergey Markedonov.

ArmInfo. The visit by US Vice President Mike Pence to NATO exercises in Georgia is nothing more than a signal to Russia about the resources of US pressure on its  sore points in the South Caucasus. And Washington still has these  resources. An expert of the Russian Council on Foreign Affairs and  the Valdai Club, the editor of Al-Monitor (USA) Maxim Suchkov  expressed such an opinion.

ArmInfo.It's not a secret for anyone that for Armenia, cooperation with NATO is of a commercial nature. The director of the EurAsEC Institute Vladimir Lepekhin told  ArmInfo about it."Russia, of course, is dissatisfied with NATO's  activity on its borders, but this displeasure has nothing to do with  the participation of the Armenian military in the exercises in  Georgia." In Moscow, it refers to this, let's say, with  understanding. Sun in exchange for participation in the exercises in  Vaziani, in my opinion, these funds will help the Armenian military  to solve certain problems, "he said.

ArmInfo.

ArmInfo.

Edward Abrahamyan, the  Researcher at British University Leicester and freelance regional security expert at the Jamestown Foundation and IHS Markit, in his  interview to  ArmInfo comments on the latest impulses in Armenia's relations with US and Europe,  talks about the opportunities for Yerevan to develop relations with EU and NATO,  shares his vision of the possible role of the Alliance in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

ArmInfo.The tension on the contact line between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani troops remains. The head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia Movses Hakobyan stated this in a conversation with journalists in Yerevan on June 26.

ArmInfo.The Azerbaijani leadership has long begun to ignore the decisions not only of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, but also calls and political appeals of many international organizations. This is stated in the statement of the Coordination Council of Russian- Armenian organizations in connection with the aggression of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan on June 16- 17, as a result of which four Armenian servicemen were killed.

ArmInfo.The tension is now observed not only in Iran, but also in all countries of the Persian Gulf, but now in the focus of attention of Armenia are Saudi Arabia and Qatar, at by ARF  Dashnaktsutyun bureau member  and the head of Hay Dat  Armenian office on political issues Kiro (Giro) Manoyan stated during the press conference.