Armenia's security impossible without CSTO, Russian diplomat says
Armenia's security is possible to ensure without cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large for CSTO Affairs Viktor Vasilyev said in an interview with RIA Novosti on Thursday.
"I cannot disclose to you the information which makes it clear that Armenia's security, including in the military-technical sphere, is not possible without cooperation within the CSTO," Vasilyev said.
In addition, the diplomat added that Russia saw attempts by Western countries to use the situation in Armenia to escalate tensions not only there, but also in the entire Caucasus.
"We use the discussions within the CSTO at all levels to call our Armenian colleagues' attention to this deliberate policy by the Western countries," he noted.
The Armenian authorities have repeatedly accused the CSTO and Russia of failure to fulfill their commitments. Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan refused to participate in the CSTO summit in Minsk on November 23.