In an interview with RT, Arshak Karapetyan has questioned the stated purpose of the Eagle Partner exercise underway in the post-Soviet country The current joint exercises between Armenia and several NATO member states are being held for purely political purposes, Armenia’s former defense minister Arshak Karapetyan has told RT. The Eagle Partner annual drills, which began last week and are running through Thursday, are officially intended to prepare troops for international peacekeeping missions.