Armenia, UK sign new defence cooperation plan for 2025–2026

Armenia and the United Kingdom have formalised a new defence cooperation plan that will guide bilateral military collaboration throughout 2025 and 2026, according to a statement issued by Armenia’s Ministry of Defence.

The agreement was signed by Levon Ayvazyan, Head of the Department of Defence Policy and International Cooperation at Armenia’s Ministry of Defence, and Christopher Keay, Director for Defence Policy covering Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia at the UK Ministry of Defence, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

The signing followed a new round of Armenian-British defence consultations. During the meetings, Major General Artur Yeroyan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Armenia’s Armed Forces, briefed the UK delegation on the status of military reforms being carried out in Armenia.

Talks between the two sides also focused on both regional and global security dynamics, with special attention to the potential for expanding bilateral cooperation in defence and security matters.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova recently criticised both the European Union and the United Kingdom, accusing them of fueling militarisation and promoting confrontation in the service of NATO’s strategic objectives. She further argued that the EU’s planned €10 million military assistance package for Armenia was driven by geopolitical ambition, with the intent of extending Western influence across the South Caucasus.

By Tamilla Hasanova