The U.S. Embassy in Armenia released on Tuesday photographs of Major General James Kriesel of U.S. European Command (EUCOM), Brigadier General Andrew Saslav of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and Brigadier General Anthony Mohatt of the Kansas National Guard visiting a training ground outside Yerevan where U.S. and Armenian soldiers have been practicing a joint peacekeeping operation.
They were joined by U.S. Ambassador Kristina Kvien and Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsian. The photographs also showed them meeting with U.S. and Armenian officers leading the Eagle Partner 2024 exercise that will end on Wednesday.
“The exercise, which started on July 15, builds on longstanding U.S.-Armenia defense cooperation related to preparation for international peacekeeping operations,” the embassy said in a short statement posted on its Facebook page.
On Monday, EUCOM released a short video of U.S. soldiers jumping out of an armored vehicle to simulate a gunfight during the drills. “This training highlights the strong partnership between the U.S. and Armenia, enhancing our collective readiness and interoperability,” it wrote.
Russia has denounced the drills held amid a continuing deterioration of its relations with Armenia. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said last week that they will deal another blow to Russian-Armenian military ties and put Armenia’s security at greater risk.
Visiting Yerevan last week, Uzra Zeya, the U.S. under secretary of state for democracy and human rights, said that Washington will soon appoint a resident adviser to the Armenian Defense Ministry in line with “the historic upgrade of U.S.-Armenia relations to strategic partnership.” The U.S. Embassy told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Monday that the adviser is a civilian official from the U.S. State Department tasked with helping the country improve its security sector governance.
