Moscow demanded official clarification from Yerevan on the participation of the CSTO member Armenia in NATO drills in Europe, leading to destabilization of the situation in the region.
Russia demanded official clarification from Armenia on the participation of the Armenian military in the US military drills in Europe, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today at a press-conference.
"The US and its allies are trying to discredit the cooperation of the countries of the region with our country, drawing them into various formats of interaction. They are clearly anti-Russian in nature, if not Russophobic," the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The NATO actions destabilize the situation in various regions, increase the conflict potential, create new dividing lines, Zakharova noted, saying that the Russian Foreign Ministry has requested official clarification from the Armenian partners regarding their participation in NATO exercises. Upon receipt of the answer, Russia's reaction will definitely follow, she assured.
In the current situation, Yerevan's refusal to conduct CSTO drills on its territory is regrettable and does not contribute to enhancing regional security.
Armenia plans to take part in two military drills conducted by the command of the US ground forces in Europe, Aram Torosyan, spokesman for the country's Ministry of Defense, said. Prior to this, the website of the US Department of Defense mentioned Armenia among the countries participating in the multinational military drills Defender-2023, but after some time the country was excluded from this list.
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said that the country's Ministry of Defense informed the CSTO about the inappropriateness of holding the Indestructible Brotherhood-2023 drills in the country.
