Armenian defense ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan commented on continuous concerns regarding the reservists’ participation in military exercises.

“Military exercises are carefully planned a year ago. Armenian armed forces annually conduct such maneuvers, with reservists participating. This is a planned step. However, these exercises have never taken three months. In fact these maneuvers are not large-scale and will take only a few days. Armenian defense ministry’s measures are aimed at ensuring the security,” Mr Hovhannisyan said, adding that the issue should not be politicized.