Russia expects Armenia to resume its full participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
“We expect that in the interests of the future security of Armenia itself, and indeed the entire region, our partnership with Armenia within the CSTO will be fully restored,” the diplomat said.
She emphasized that Yerevan “de jure remains a full member of the organization” and retains all ensuing rights and obligations.
“At the current stage, the Armenian leadership is actually adhering to the policy of moving away from such interaction, which, from the position of the Russian side, contradicts the interests of the Armenian people,” Zakharova stated.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a press conference over the weekend that Armenia’s decision to freeze participation in CSTO is “sufficient at this stage.”
He said there is no need for a different decision for now, but did not exclude that such could be made in the future.
