Russian MP: Armenia alone decides how long its CSTO freeze lasts

The duration of Armenia’s “frozen” status in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) depends entirely on the country itself, Anatoly Vyborny, Chairman of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence and Security and Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, said. 

According to Caliber.Az, citing Armenian media, Vyborny noted that from an inter-parliamentary perspective, Armenian representatives appear not to participate in Assembly events but do not oppose any of the documents adopted within the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.

“How do we view this? Today, I think the whole world has seen both de jure and de facto that the CSTO, and its Parliamentary Assembly, is the only forum in the world where decisions are made solely by free will. There is absolutely no pressure on the country or its parliamentarians. We treat the decisions made by our colleagues with the utmost respect and have no complaints. In the same way, we see that Armenia respects the decisions we make,” Vyborny said.

He emphasised that the continuation of this situation depends entirely on Armenia itself. Vyborny also addressed the matter of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, stressing that all CSTO member states support resolving disputes exclusively through peaceful means.

Media reports recall that Armenia has not been participating in CSTO activities and has frozen its involvement in all CSTO bodies. Notably, the country did not take part in the recent CSTO Council meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

While Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that Yerevan has frozen its participation in the CSTO, no formal decision has been made to withdraw from the organisation.

By Tamilla Hasanova