On September 1, Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan officially announced that his country had frozen its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) "at all levels."
Points of attention
- Armenia is considering the possibility of final withdrawal from the CSTO.
- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan supports the idea of European integration and considers the possibility of carrying out reforms to strengthen democracy in the country.
- The European Parliament has already expressed its support for the possibility of Armenia's membership in the EU.
Armenia is getting closer to the final withdrawal from the CSTO
The Prime Minister of Armenia emphasized that, as of today, he "considers this decision to be sufficient."
He also publicly speculated about what would have to happen for his country to finally leave the organization.
There can be discussions... I respect all opinions, but on the other hand, we made the decision we made. We don't see the need to make another decision at this time, but that doesn't mean we won't see the need to make another decision at the next moment.
Nikol Pashinyan
Prime Minister of Armenia
What is important to understand is that on June 12, 2024, the Armenian authorities officially announced that they would withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a security organization created by Russia, a kind of anti-NATO.
"We will leave (the CSTO. — ed.), are you scaring me with this? We are fine, we will decide when we leave... And what do you think? What will be the next step? Do you think we will go back? No, there is no other way "Don't worry, we won't go back," Pashinyan said then.
Armenia can join the EU
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, was the first to make a statement on this matter.
He noted that official Yerevan is indeed considering the possibility of applying for membership in the European Union.
Already on March 13, the European Parliament adopted a resolution proposing to consider the possibility of Armenia's membership in the EU.
If Armenia is interested in obtaining the candidate status and continues to follow the path of stable reforms that strengthen its democracy, this can become the basis for the stage of transformation in EU-Armenia relations, the document said.
According to Armenian political scientist Ruben Mehrabyan, supporters of the current government and a considerable part of the extra-parliamentary opposition support this development.
