Armenian foreign minister heads to DC for NATO summit amid shift west

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will travel to Washington, D.C., from July 9-10 to participate in the NATO summit. Once one of Russia's most important allies, Armenia is now striving to strengthen ties with Western countries.

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson announced on social media that Minister (Ararat) Mirzoyan will participate with NATO partners at the NATO summit and other events dedicated to the organization's 75th anniversary. Bilateral meetings are also planned.

The NATO summit will begin on Tuesday in the capital of the United States. Although Armenia is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it is part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russia-led alliance.

Yerevan, once Russia's closest ally in the South Caucasus, is now strengthening its relations with Western countries. This shift is due to Russia's lack of response to the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Reuters reported that the Armenian Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that from July 15-24, joint military exercises with the United States will be held in Armenia. These exercises will focus on tasks related to peacekeeping missions.

Last week, Washington decided to suspend the exercises scheduled for this month in Georgia. This decision was due to a recent pro-Russian turn following the enactment of the so-called foreign agents law by the government in Tbilisi. On Tuesday, May 28, the parliament controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party rejected the presidential veto of the law targeting non-governmental organizations.