MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/. The Armenian people are wise enough not to "buy into" NATO’s attempts to drag their country into its sphere of influence, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS.

"We see NATO’s attempts to draw not only Ukraine, but also other Russia’s neighbors, in particular Armenia, into the sphere of its pernicious influence. I m convinced that Armenian society, the Armenian people is wise and far-sighted enough to understand the present-day international realities and not to buy into such provocative, anti-Russian and anti-Armenian attempts to drag Armenia into NATO’s sphere of influence," he noted.

"We impose nothing on anyone. But, naturally, we draw the attention of our partners to the fact that closer relations with NATO are unlikely to yield any positive results in terms of ensuring their own security," he said.

"I am convinced that the Armenian people, Armenian society understands everything perfectly well and will make the right conclusions, which will be in Armenia’s long-term security interests," Galuzin stressed.

Earlier, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced that the republic will hold a joint military exercise, Eagle Partner 2023, with the United States on Armenian soil on September 11-20.

On Monday, Gunther Fehlinger, the Chair of the European Committee for NATO Enlargement, called on Armenia to join the North Atlantic Alliance. Later that day, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan said that his country cooperated with NATO in various formats and that it was ready to continue this process.