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Large-scale tactical military exercises have kicked off at the Russian military base stationed in Armenia. The drills involve 3,000 troops, TASS reported.
According to TASS, the Southern Military District of Russia, which encompasses the base in Armenia, issued a statement saying that the exercises will run until July 28.
In addition to the 3,000 troops, the exercises involve 500 units of equipment, including air defense, military and unmanned aviation systems.
Armenia certainly does not have the ambition to accelerate a process of Russian-American normalization promised by D. Trump but is slow to take shape, but the participation of a battalion of The army of the Republic of Armenia, a strategic ally of Russia, to military maneuvers under American command, moreover on the territory of Georgia, which has maintained relations at least tense with Russia since this one De facto annexed the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, after a flash war in August 2008, blows a relaxing wind on relations between Moscow and Washington.
The military exercises that began on July 30 that the Georgian base Vaziani near Tbilisi, should involve, for two weeks, some 2,800 soldiers from the United States, Georgia, Great Britain, Germany, Turkey, Ukraine, Slovenia and Armenia, the latter country having a special status because of its privileged military and political ties with Russia, although it is also participating in various peace programs within the framework of the Nato.
The US contingent includes several Abrams M1A2 tanks and Bradley armored vehicles as part of a mechanized infantry company. “These exercises give the participating nations the opportunity to train in a multinational framework while strengthening co-operation and co-ordinated operations,” the US Army Europe Command said in a statement on the maneuvers baptized “Noble Partner”. “These exercises will help Georgia to move closer to NATO standards and help to strengthen stability throughout the region,” said Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili during the inaugural ceremony of the exercises. A few days after NATO’s major maneuvers in the Baltic countries and Poland, to the great displeasure of Russia, which will respond with maneuvers of a similar scale on the Russian and Belarusian sides, announced for September.
The exercises began on the eve of the official visit to Georgia of US Vice President Mike Pence, who is expected to attend and speak to participants on Tuesday, August 1. The Russian government preferred not to comment; He had already criticized similar exercises organized in the past by the US military in the territory of Georgia. The participation of some 30 Armenian soldiers in these exercises illustrates Yerevan’s desire to counterbalance its military alliance with Russia by strengthening its military ties with the West.
Armenia has developed its defense cooperation with the United States and other NATO countries since the early 2000s. More than 100 Armenian soldiers currently participating in NATO missions, NATO in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and the Armenian Army regularly participates in US-led multinational military exercises. But this participation seems anecdotal in view of the close ties between Armenia and Russia, which remains the pivot of the Armenian strategic doctrine and the national security of the country. Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian recalled him on 29 July as he took part in the opening ceremony near Moscow of the 2017 International Military Games, organized in part by Russia.
While Russian-Azeri naval military maneuvers were held in the Caspian, confirming a rapprochement between Russia and Azerbaijan, the Azeri troops range from 5 to 9 October undertake joint military exercises with Turkey as part of operations ” Eternity-2015 “. Exercises to the capacity of military commands to consolidated. Georgia also participate in these exercises. While no allies of Armenia has raised his voice in condemning the Azeri attacks Karabakh and the western border with Nakhichevan, it remains to Armenia to carry out military maneuvers with the army of Nagorno Karabakh … and only rely on its own strength to face the enemy.
Krikor Amirzayan
‘Shant-2015’ strategic command-and-staff military exercises were the most significant event in Armenia in recent days, deputy of the parliamentary faction of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Sukias Avetisyan said at a press conference today.
In his words, it is the first time that such large-scale drills have been held in independent Armenia.
Speaking about the working visit of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Russia, S. Avetisyan presented the main results of the Armenian-Russian high-level negotiations held in Moscow yesterday, on September 7.
Thus, an agreement was signed on provision of a $200 million preferential loan to Armenia, Gazprom Company plans to increase investment by $60 million in Armenia’s gas-transport system in the next 5 years, and an agreement was signed with Russian Energy Ministry to reduce the gas price by $25 to $165.
Source: Panorama.a
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is due in Athens for talks on Friday amid a tense atmosphere between Greece and Turkey, which has been exacerbated by the neighboring country’s decision to carry out naval exercises in the Aegean while discussions take place in the Greek capital.
Turkish ships and submarines have been conducting exercises in the northern and southeastern Aegean, near the Greek islands of Limnos, Kastelorizo, Ro and Strongyli since the start of the week. Although the operations had been planned much earlier, the maritime order (also known as a Navtex) marking out the area was only issued last week, suggesting that Turkey intended for the exercises to take place at the same time as leaders are due to meet in Athens for the two-day High-Level Cooperation Council.
Greek authorities have also noted an increase in the number of incursions into Greek air space by Turkish fighter jets over the past few days. There have been more than 20 since the start of the week.
Athens was hoping that its agreement for the meetings to take place would lead to a de-escalation in tensions between the two countries, which were ratcheted up when a Turkish research vessel Barbaros entered Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone in October.
Cypriot Foreign Minister Yiannis Kasoulides told Kathimerini on Wednesday that Nicosia is hoping that the cooperation council will help lead to the resumption of reunification talks on the island, which were abandoned when the Barbaros sailed into the Cypriot maritime zone. He added that his government had been disappointed by Washington’s suggestion that hydrocarbons issues should be part of the agenda negotiated at this stage with the Turkish Cypriots.
“The US interventions have not helped to ease the tension,” he said. “Washington is trying unnecessarily to introduce the common management of hydrocarbons, which is unacceptable for us.”