The Armenian Defense Ministry announced exercises involving troops from France and the United States.
This year, military personnel from France and Greece will join the Armenian-American Eagle Partner exercises. The exercises will begin on June 17.
As "Caucasian Knot" reported, in September 2023, joint exercises with US peacekeepers, Eagle Partner-2023, took place in Armenia. 85 American and 175 Armenian servicemen participated in them. Similar exercises were held in Armenia from July 15 to 24, 2024. Last August, joint Armenian-American exercises, Eagle Partner-2025, took place in Armenia.
Armenia's participation in military exercises under the auspices of the United States is aimed at increasing the country's security, which does not contradict the interests of Russia, although Moscow is jealous of Armenia's contacts with the West, Armenian analysts stated in the spring of 2023. In September 2023, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the Armenian authorities made a mistake by building a security architecture that forced them to rely exclusively on Russia.
The annual military exercises Eagle Partner 2026 will be held in Armenia from June 17 to 25. They will focus on preparations for participation in international peacekeeping missions, the country's Ministry of Defense announced today.
According to the ministry, 250 service members of the Armenian Armed Forces' peacekeeping brigade and 58 troops from the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa and the Kansas National Guard will participate in the exercises. Additionally, this year, troops from France and Greece—24 and 11 personnel, respectively—will join the exercises.
The stated goal of the exercises is to improve interaction between units participating in international peacekeeping operations, exchange knowledge, and increase the combat readiness of the Armenian Armed Forces' peacekeeping unit.
Following Russia's refusal to intervene in the armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the fall of 2020, Armenia's confidence in the benefits of participating in the Collective Security Treaty Organization has weakened, to the point of threatening to leave the CSTO. The steps Armenia has taken in its attempts to find an alternative to the CSTO can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points to Armenia's Criticism of the CSTO and the Kremlin".