U.S.-Armenian drills in no way tied to any other events – State Dept

PanARMENIAN.Net - Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Matthew Miller has said that U.S.-Armenian military exercises currently underway in Armenia is in no way tied to any other events.

Miller made the remarks at a press briefing on Tuesday, September 11 when asked if the drills were designed to somehow forestall a potential Azerbaijani attack.

Over the past few days, footage has circulated across Azerbaijani social media appearing to show increased movement of Azerbaijani troops around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the border with Armenia.

“We routinely train and operate alongside our partners to maintain readiness, and we continually – continuously improve on the interoperability between our armed forces,” Miller said.

“Armenia is a longstanding partner to the United States and has an enduring relationship since 2003 with the Kansas National Guard as part of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program. So no, this is in – this is a routine exercise that is in no way tied to any other events.”

Russia’s reacted to the Armenian-U.S. military training, reminding Armenia to remember where their loyalties lie.

“I think that given Russia has invaded two of its neighbors in recent years, it should refrain from lecturing countries in the region about security arrangements,” Miller said on the matter.