Skip to content
Edit post

Armenia suspends participation in Russian-led CSTO 'at all levels,' Armenian PM says

by Kateryna Hodunova and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 1, 2024 6:53 PM 2 min read
Armenia has suspended its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) "at all levels."
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives an interview in Yerevan on July 21, 2023. (Karen Minasyan / AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Aug. 31 during a press conference that Armenia has suspended its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) "at all levels," but that the decision could change.

"The Republic of Armenia 'has frozen' its participation in the CSTO at all levels, and at this stage, we consider this decision sufficient," Pashinyan said.

The CSTO, established in 2002, includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Russia is by far the most powerful member of the alliance.

In early 2024, Armenia threatened to leave the organization and, in May, refused to fund it despite the budget being approved last November.

"There may be a discussion, someone may say that it is enough, and someone may say that it is not enough, but here we need to look at who has what assessment powers," the prime minister also said about the decision.

Pashinyan could not name the "exact day" when Armenia would leave the organization. He said the government could reconsider the decision to suspend its membership in the future but did not see the need to do so for now.

Armenia has had a historically close relationship with Russia, especially vis-a-vis its primary regional foe Azerbaijan, and has thus largely refrained from getting involved in Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

The calculus changed after Russian "peacekeepers" failed to prevent Azerbaijan's offensive into the Nagorno-Karabakh region, primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, in September 2023.

Disappointed with Russia and fearing renewed hostilities with Baku, Yerevan has turned West for new partnerships.

EU ambassadors approved the launch of a visa-free dialogue with Armenia in July and, for the first time in history, agreed to allocate military aid from the European Peace Facility (EPF) to the country.

Russia willing to participate in South Caucasus peace settlement amid ‘crisis’ in Ukraine, Putin says
Putin arrived in Baku for talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev for the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

News Feed

4:16 AM

IMF approves $1.1 billion in funding for Ukraine.

The IMF approved the $1.1 billion tranche after completing its sixth review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), a plan to provide Ukraine with over $15 billion in budget support over four years.
4:11 PM

Zaluzhnyi releases book 'My War,' first in planned trilogy.

"This book is about my war. First, the war with my own fears that prevent me from doing anything. Second, the war with people who prevent you from achieving your goals. And finally, the war against circumstances that become obstacles in life," Ukraine's former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.