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Armenia’s prime minister said Putin’s NATO-style alliance, the CSTO, poses “a threat” to his country.
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It is the latest salvo in a series of Armenian rejections of the bloc.
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Armenia recently froze its membership in the CSTO, which was seen as a blow to Putin.
A former ally of Russia said President Vladimir Putin’s NATO-style alliance offers no security guarantees but instead poses “a threat” to his country.
Armenia recently frozen the membership of the six former Soviet states, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which is seen as Putin’s answer to NATO.
The CSTO also includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
At a meeting on Wednesday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the bloc was “not fulfilling its security obligations towards Armenia.” according to state media agency Armenpress.
The CSTO “in fact creates a threat to Armenia’s security and to the country’s existence, sovereignty and statehood,” he said.
Armenia has increasingly withdrawn from the bloc since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. In February 2023, Pashinyan said “We are not an ally of Russia” when it comes to conflict.
The latest comments come amid Armenia’s broader efforts to reduce its reliance on Russian military support and diversify its security partnerships. Armenian Weekly reported.
Armenia has not yet officially withdrawn from the CVTO, but has been hesitating about leaving for months, after a year of rejections to the organization.
Pashinyan first said In February, he froze Armenia’s membership after months of failing to show up at numerous OSCE meetings.
Experts have previously told Business Insider that developments within the CSTO have caused damage Putin’s prestige.
The alliance is widely seen as Putin’s attempt to cement Russia’s great power status by leading a NATO-style collective defense bloc. In practice, however, this has rarely worked.
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan have all withdrawn from the CVTO.
Armenia believes it is justified in withdrawing.
When Armenia asked for help last year during clashes with neighboring AzerbaijanPutin refused to send troops, a move that enraged Pashinyan.
When asked on Wednesday whether Armenia would restore its membership, Pashinyan said this would happen only if he received substantive answers to the questions he has been asking the bloc for years, Armenpress reported.
“The more we do not hear answers, the more Armenia moves away from the CVTO with every minute and second,” he said, according to the outlet.
When asked whether his country had reached the point of irreparable damage with the CSTO, Pashinyan added: “If we haven’t reached that point yet, there’s a good chance we will.”
Read the original article at Company Insider
