Armenia Joins U.S.-Led Drills In Georgia

Four Armenian army officers are participating in U.S.-led military exercises in Georgia that began on Wednesday.

The two-week exercises called Noble Partner 2018 are taking place at the Vaziani military base near Tbilisi. They involve 3,000 soldiers from Georgia, the United States and a dozen other nations, including Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The Georgian Defense Ministry said in June that the annual exercises are meant to “increase interoperability between the armed forces of participating countries and contribute to security of the Black Sea region.”

Confirming Armenia’s participation in the drills on Monday, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Yerevan, Artsrun Hovannisian, stressed that they are “not organized by NATO” and that the Armenian officers will take part in them at Georgia’s invitation.

“In the same exercise held in [August] 2017 the Armenian Armed Forces participated with a field hospital having 40-strong personnel,” said Hovannisian.

The Armenian military dropped out of other U.S.-led wargames which were hosted by Georgia in September 2017. Armenian officials denied at the time any pressure from Russia, Armenia main military ally.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin criticized in July 2017 exercises frequently organized by NATO and the U.S. in Georgia, saying that they undermine regional security.