Additional Coverage:
- A longtime Russian ally says it’s frozen its participation in Putin’s NATO ‘at all levels’ after a year of snubs (newsbreak.com)
In a recent development that marks a significant shift in regional military alliances, Armenia has officially distanced itself from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), led by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, representing one of the six member nations of the CSTO, announced that Armenia has “frozen” its involvement across all levels of the alliance, which is often viewed as Putin’s counterpart to NATO.
This decision comes after nearly a year of Armenia opting out of participation in various CSTO events, including military exercises and political gatherings, signaling a cooled relationship between Armenia and the alliance. Local media reported these developments following a press conference held by Pashinyan.
Despite differing opinions within Armenia, Pashinyan stated that his government currently sees no reason to reevaluate their decision. However, he did not dismiss the possibility of future changes, suggesting that circumstances might eventually call for a different course of action.
Pashinyan initially declared Armenia’s intention to exit the CSTO in February 2023. Since then, he has taken a firm stance against supporting Putin’s aggressive maneuvers in Ukraine, exacerbating tensions between Armenia and Russia.
Furthermore, discontent in Armenia has been brewing due to the CSTO’s lackluster response to its request for support during clashes with Azerbaijan in 2022. The organization’s failure to act, despite having a mutual defense clause similar to NATO’s Article 5, has led to significant disillusionment with the alliance.
Amid increasing frictions, Armenia has been moving closer to Western powers, evidenced by its procurement of Western military equipment and joint exercises with the US. Tensions with Russia worsened, culminating in Pashinyan’s announcement in June 2023 before Armenia’s parliament that the country would completely withdraw from the CSTO.
In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed a desire to continue working with Armenia to clarify their position. Meanwhile, other CSTO members have shown varying degrees of resistance to Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with Kazakhstan and Tajikistan notably asserting their stances in different contexts.
Thomas Graham, a cofounder of Yale University’s Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies program, previously noted that Armenia has not been as closely aligned with other CSTO members or Russia compared to the relationships within the rest of the alliance. This suggests that Armenia’s departure from the CSTO may be a unique case within the organization’s dynamics.