Armenia Joins NATO Military Exercise in Georgia

TBILISI — Armenian soldiers are reportedly taking part in a NATO-led military exercise that began in neighboring Georgia on Monday.

In a statement on the opening ceremony of the “Georgia-NATO 2025” exercise, the Georgian Defense Ministry listed Armenia as well as Turkey and Azerbaijan among 17 NATO member and partner states participating in it.

The ten-day drills is designed to train a “brigade-level multinational unit” operating under Georgian command. The Italian Embassy in Tbilisi said in January this year that Armenia will join them as an observer.

Over the last few years, the Armenian government has sought to deepen security ties with NATO and the United States in particular amid mounting tensions with Russia underlined by its decision in early 2024 to suspend Armenia’s membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Yerevan hosted U.S.-Armenian military exercises 2023 and 2024. According to recent news reports, the U.S. military has already begun preparations for the next such exercise that will also take place in the summer.