U.S.-Armenia joint military drills undermine regional stability: Kremlin

MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming joint U.S.-Armenian military exercises do not contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the region, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

Peskov said that these exercises are also not conducive to fostering an atmosphere of mutual trust in the region.

Moscow continues to work with both Armenia and Azerbaijan amid an escalation of tensions, he added.

During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, "the military-political situation in the region had worsened significantly."

The Armenian Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday the decision to host joint exercises with the United States that will run through Sept. 20.

Azerbaijan and Armenia had been locked in a decades-long territorial conflict, with major armed clashes breaking out in September 2020 and ending with a Russia-brokered truce in November of the same year.

Sporadic conflicts have been erupting between Baku and Yerevan ever since, with international efforts still ongoing to mediate a fundamental truce between the two South Caucasus states.