WASHINGTON (Azatutyun) — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed with Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan what he described as “strategic partnership” between their countries during talks held in Washington late on Thursday, December 5.
Austin said after the talks that he welcomed Papikyan to the Pentagon to “reaffirm our shared goal of peace in the South Caucasus.”
“We also discussed our growing strategic partnership through training and exercises, military education, and capacity-building,” he wrote on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder issued a similar readout of the meeting. He noted that it was “the first such meeting in two decades.”
In a statement released on Friday morning, Papikyan said he “highlighted the priority areas” of growing US-Armenian military cooperation. He said they include “transforming” Armenia’s armed forces and enhancing their interoperability with the US military through military training and education and joint exercises.
“The meeting also addressed international and regional security issues,” the statement added without elaborating.
