Why did Lucius Verus travel to the eastern provinces?

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Bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius with his right arm raised, seated on a horse, at Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome, Italy. — Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius, bronze equestrian statue in the Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome.

Lucius Verus was dispatched to the eastern provinces in 162 CE to address a serious military crisis initiated by the Parthians.31

The Parthian king, Vologeses IV, had invaded Syria and occupied Armenia, threatening Roman control in the region. Because the situation was deemed critical, Lucius Verus was sent to the east with significant reinforcements drawn from the Danube and Rhine frontiers to repel the invasion and restore Roman authority. Although the war was nominally under his command, the successful military campaigns in Armenia and Mesopotamia were largely executed by subordinate generals, most notably Gaius Avidius Cassius.123