Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan attended the opening ceremony of the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on September 17.

Papikyan, according to his office, also attended the forum’s plenary session.

The three-day forum is seen as China’s response to the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier annual security gathering in Singapore, typically attended by minister-level officials from Western countries, including the United States and its allies.

China's top security and defense annual forum aims to showcase a unity that can counter the US-led global order.

The forum has attracted official delegations from more than one-hundred countries, regions and international organizations.