Political expert: Armenia may seek to quit CSTO

Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikyan has recently paid a visit to the United States.

Meanwhile, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan went to Moscow to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The Armenian media asked political scientist Armen Hovhannisyan to comment on the reasons for such complementarity in the visits of the heads of the Armenian government's two key structures.

"The government is not coping with the pressure exerted by Russia and Türkiye. First of all, the matter is about a potential corridor through Armenia's Syunik region, which will connect these two countries, and about constant concessions from Armenia to Azerbaijan," Hovhannisyan said.

The political expert is sure that the Armenian defence minister's trip to the US shows that there is a way out, an alternative. Armenia thereby seeks to show that if the pressure remains constant, then it will respond by cooperating with Russia's main geopolitical opponent.

"But I can't imagine how a country that is a member of the CSTO can receive military assistance from the United States. This simply contradicts the obligations that Armenia assumed by joining the organisation. Complementarity has certain limitations: in times of geopolitical conflict, one must be determined," Hovhannisyan believes.

According to the political scientist, now for the restoration and modernisation of the Armenian army, it is necessary to cooperate intensively with the West.

Hovhannisyan underlined that the CSTO "is a kind of straitjacket for Armenia, which does not allow the country to get back on its feet, restore its defence capability and other attributes of sovereignty that were actually lost after the 2020 war".

"There is certainly a technical possibility of quitting the CSTO - the agreement will be updated next year. And it is up to Armenia to decide whether to update it or not. There will surely be provocations, but the government is there to manage the risks. The alternative is the actual loss of statehood under Russian-Turkish pressure. We need to choose where the risks are more significant," the expert concluded.