Armenia says ties with Collective Security Treaty Organization passed ‘point of no return’

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday that his country’s ties with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have passed the “point of no return.”

Speaking at a parliamentary session in the country’s capital Yerevan, Pashinyan said Armenia does not veto any document being discussed in the Russian-led alliance because it considers itself outside of it, reminding that it suspended its participation in the organization.

According to Pashinyan, the current situation between Armenia and the CSTO makes Yerevan’s return to active participation in the alliance “increasingly difficult, if not impossible.”

“I believe we have crossed the point of no return," the premier added.

In September, Pashinyan said that his country is nearing a breaking point in its relations with the CSTO, expressing that there is a high probability that they will cross the “point of no return” if they have not crossed it already.

The premier’s remarks came months after he announced in an interview in February that Yerevan had suspended its participation in the CSTO.

Armenia's stance towards the CSTO is tied to several factors, primarily stemming from its dissatisfaction with the bloc's response to its security concerns, especially on the conflict with Azerbaijan in the Karabakh region back in 2020.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to ongoing normalization and demarcation efforts between the two countries.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh following an operation after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.