Political analyst: Armenia-CSTO relations in crisis
Relations between Armenia and the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are basically in crisis, claims political analyst Alexander Iskandaryan, the head of the Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute.
His comments came after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told France 24 on Thursday that Armenia had frozen its participation in the CSTO because the security bloc had failed the country.
Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Iskandaryan underscored that Armenia-CSTO relations had been strained at least since 2020.
"These relations are basically in crisis. I believe that the CSTO, as an organization, is in crisis. I would interpret this [Pashinyan’s statement] not as a formal withdrawal from the CSTO, but as follows: Armenia's engagement with Russia within the CSTO does not really work and Armenia's engagement with other countries of the organization has never worked. Therefore, it is just an indication of the existing crisis," the political analyst said.