Eurasianet

Violence at the line of contact declined in 2017.

Documents show that the US planned to train 1,200 special forces troops from Tajikistan.

The Union of Elders, an influential civil body in Pankisi issued a January 2 statement on the operation, saying the shooting should be investigated “in a timely and objective manner.”

The two sides announced their intention to “deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields including anti-terrorism operations, and push forward the state and military relations between the two countries.”

The speech was made before a large gathering of lawmakers, foreign diplomats and reporters with local and foreign media.

While the defense minister refused to specify exactly how the budget growth would be allocated, he did suggest the increase would be utilized for new weapons systems for the Armenian military.