Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, stated in a televised interview on Friday that Armenia has effectively halted its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), led by Russia.
Pashinyan criticized the CSTO for its failure to fulfill security obligations to Armenia, particularly during 2021 and 2022. He emphasized that Armenia couldn’t overlook this negligence without consequences. Consequently, Armenia has suspended its involvement in the CSTO, pending further developments.
The request for military intervention from Russia and other CSTO allies came from Armenia after Azerbaijan initiated offensive military operations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in September 2022. Armenia has accused them of disregarding this request, breaching the CSTO’s statutes and mission. Despite CSTO offers for assistance and monitoring, Armenia declined.
In the past year, Pashinyan’s government not only avoided CSTO meetings but also canceled a planned CSTO exercise in Armenia, declined to appoint an Armenian deputy head, and withdrew the Armenian representative from its Moscow headquarters.
The Kremlin responded cautiously to Pashinyan’s statements, stating that clarification from Yerevan was expected. The CSTO has not been formally notified of Armenia’s suspension of membership.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested in December that Armenia had no intention of leaving the CSTO and attributed Armenia’s actions to internal processes. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry previously accused Pashinyan of undermining Russian-Armenian relations.
During his visit to Paris, Pashinyan claimed that high-ranking Russian officials encouraged Armenians to protest and overthrow him after Azerbaijan’s recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh
in September. Russia has not responded to this claim.
In a recent visit to Germany for a security conference in Munich, Pashinyan criticized Russia further. He met with several Western leaders on the sidelines of the forum, signaling a shift in Armenia’s foreign and security policy towards diversification.
While Pashinyan and his allies advocate for diversifying Armenia’s alliances due to perceived lack of Russian support, opponents view this as risky, arguing that the West may not offer the same security guarantees or military aid. So far, Pashinyan has not announced plans to withdraw Armenia from the CSTO or demand the removal of Russian troops.
