Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that his country's interests regarding the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have been exhausted.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, Pashinyan remarked during a parliamentary session that it would be acceptable for Yerevan if the organization decided to expel Armenia from its membership. The Prime Minister noted that such a decision would relieve Yerevan of the dilemma regarding whether or not to withdraw from the bloc.
In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Armenia has the right to leave the CSTO. According to Peskov, if Armenia does not perceive a need for membership in the organization for its regional security, Yerevan is free to make decisions based on its national interests.
Tensions in Armenian-Russian relations escalated in February 2024 when Yerevan suspended its participation in the CSTO. The Armenian leadership justified this decision by claiming that the CSTO failed to meet Yerevan's expectations during the military operations conducted by Azerbaijan in the Garabagh region in 2023. Since 2024, Armenia has also ceased its budget contributions to the organization.
The CSTO, a military alliance established in 1992, currently includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. While the organization was intended to provide collective security, recent geopolitical shifts have seen the Pashinyan government actively seeking to reorient its foreign policy, including publicly declaring intentions to potentially apply for European Union membership in the future.
