Armenia, US discuss defence cooperation, regional security in Washington

On October 15, during a working visit to the United States, Edward Asryan, Armenia’s First Deputy Minister of Defence and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, met with several key US defence officials, according to the Armenian Ministry of Defence's press service.

His discussions included Mike Miller, Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency; Brigadier General Allen Pepper, Commander of the US Army Security Assistance Command; and Tressa Gutiérrez, Deputy Secretary of Defense for International Security and Director of the Office of Defense Policy, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The meetings focused on various topics related to the current state of the Armenia-US defence partnership, upcoming programs, and regional security.

Notably, as Caliber.Az reported on August 6, two military planes departed from US bases in Romania, the Middle East, and landed at Armenia's Zvartnots Airport on August 2-3. Reliable sources informed Caliber.Az that these Boeing C-17 military transport aircraft, belonging to the US Armed Forces, carried both military cargo and personnel to Zvartnots Airport.

As part of the classified section of a document signed on April 5 in Brussels, which outlines military cooperation, new-generation US-made weapons were delivered to the Armenian Armed Forces. This shipment included sniper rifles, night vision devices, special communication equipment, body armour for Armenian special forces, strike mini-drones, compact mines used by the US Army, and other munitions.

By Khagan Isayev