YEREVAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th March, 2021) The head of the defense policy department of the Armenian Defense Ministry Levon Ayvazyan, in a comment to Sputnik Armenia, denied the rumors about the participation of the Armenian military in the NATO exercises, Defender Europe 2021.
Russian military journalist Alexander Kharchenko previously reported that Yerevan allegedly plans to participate in the Defender Europe 2021 NATO exercises, where the transfer of US troops to the Russian border area is expected to be practiced. His claim was based on the presence of the flag of Armenia in the infographic with a list of supposed participants. This information was later replicated by many media outlets, including Russian ones.
"All reports and rumors on this topic are misinformation," Ayvazyan said adding that the defense ministry will soon release a press statement on this issue.
The so-called Russian threat has become an indispensable part of NATO's rhetorical arsenal. It has subsequently been used as justification for the bolstering of the alliance's military presence near Russia's borders, in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, over recent years.
Russia, however, has repeatedly warned that this military build-up could instigate a conflict, destabilize the region and lead to a global arms race. Moscow has also called upon the bloc to stop intimidating citizens of the United States and Europe by repeatedly emphasizing the non-existent Russian threat and exercise restraint in its rhetoric.
Defender Europe 2021 activities began earlier this month across Europe and will continue through June.
