U.S. Army Representative Will be Embedded in Armenia’s Defense Ministry
The United States will embed a representative of its armed forces within Armenia’s Defense Ministry, a senior State Department official announced Thursday.
Calling it a “positive development,” Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya, who is currently visiting Armenia confirmed the report, saying the U.S. Embassy in Armenia will have details.
“We welcome the deepening of cooperation in the civil defense and security spheres between the United States and Armenia. This also marks the beginning of a new phase in the strategic partnership of Armenian-American relations,” Zeya added as she continued her visit to Armenia.
The announcement comes as Armenia and the U.S. are holding joint military exercises—known as the Eagle Partner 2024—which were kicked off Monday at the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy near Yerevan. U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien joined Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan for the opening ceremonies.
While the U.S. Embassy did not delineate the timeframe of the effort, Kvien hinted at closer military cooperation with Armenia, given Yerevan’s desire to expand its role in international peacekeeping initiatives and other peace efforts.
The U.S. Ambassador told Azatutyun.am in April that the U.S. would like to contribute to Armenia’s military reform efforts to modernize the armed forces, as well as to advance its participation in peacekeeping efforts.
This latest announcement is sure to anger Russia, which has accused Yerevan of creating a foothold for the West—and NATO—in the Caucasus.
Kvien visited the facility where the Eagle Partner exercises are being held and met with Armenian-American U.S. military personnel taking part in the drills.
“A pleasure to meet Armenian-American U.S. military personnel from my home state of California, who are serving as interpreters during the Eagle Partner Exercise. Thank you for your service!” Kvien said in a social media post on Thursday.
Zeya, the U.S. Under Secretary of State, arrived in Armenia on Monday, and has been meeting with Armenian government officials, including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and National Security chief Armen Grigoryan.
She is the second senior U.S. official to visit Armenia in the past two weeks. Zeya’s trip was preceded by a visit by USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who pledged continued American support for strengthening democracy in Armenia and assistance programs for displaced Artsakh Armenians.
