ArmInfo. Moscow still does not question the sovereign right of the Armenian partners to independently determine their foreign policy course, including in the context of further work in the CSTO. This was stated on May 3 during a weekly briefing by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, in response to a question about the likelihood of Armenia leaving the CSTO.
The Russian diplomat advised to forward this question to the Armenian side. At the same time, she recalled that Article 19 of the CSTO Charter establishes the possibility of leaving the Organization. According to her, in this case, the state, after settling its obligations within the CSTO, must send an official notification no later than 6 months before the withdrawal date.
"As far as we know, despite the constantly circulated accusations against the Organization, no new steps have been taken regarding membership in it by the partners. So, we proceed from the fact that Armenia continues to remain a full participant in the Organization and must bear the corresponding obligations, including those stipulated the Collective Security Treaty of 1992, the CSTO Charter of 2002 and other documents. We are firmly convinced that in any case, the CSTO is and will remain an effective institute responsible for maintaining security in Eurasia and the bloc's member states," noted the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Earlier in February 2024, Nikol Pashinyan, in an interview with France 24 TV channel, stated that Armenia's participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was frozen. On March 12, 2024, Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia will leave the CSTO if the Organization does not fulfill its obligations.