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.
The delegation headed by Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Lieutenant-General Movses Hakobyan will also take part in the final of the training "Combat Commonwealth 2017" in Astrakhan, Defense Ministry's press service told ArmInfo.
Meanwhile, it became known on the eve that Armenia at the very last moment refused participation in the NATO trainings Agile Spirit 2017, which are held in Georgia from 3 to 11 September. It is noteworthy that Armenia has given its consent to participate in NATO exercises, which was also stated by high-ranking representatives of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic. Moreover, Armenia's refusal to participate in the exercises was unexpected for the host country, as stated by Georgian Defense Ministry spokesman Georgi Kajarava. The United States, Georgia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Romania attend the trainings.
The Armenian Defense Ministry did not give a clear explanation on this score, and expert circles are inclined to believe that Yerevan's decision is conditioned by Moscow's pressure.
To note, a similar situation was recorded in 2009, when Armenia also gave its consent to participate in NATO trainings, but refused at the very last moment.
ArmInfo.Remaining in the EEA and CSTO, Armenia has all the chances to maintain excellent relations with the EU, NATO and even Iran. The director of the Center for Regional Studies Richard Kirakosyan expressed this opinion to ArmInfo.
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. 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.
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