CSTO Sec Gen on Armenia`s participation in CSTO work
Currently, the CSTO includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
"Yerevan has indeed not recently participated in the work of the CSTO secretariat: Regarding the mentioned statements by officials of the Republic of Armenia, I note that the secretariat has not received any official statements from Yerevan about the suspension of membership in the CSTO," the organization's secretary general said in an interview with National magazine defense". He also said that the secretariat regularly informs the relevant structures in Yerevan about the decisions taken and adopted.
"Of course, such a possibility cannot be ruled out in principle: It is possible that our peacekeeping activities will become a kind of driver in the expansion of the organization or the emergence of new formats of cooperation on the basis of the CSTO, the need for which, unfortunately, will only increase in the foreseeable future," answered the Secretary General to the question about the possible expansion of the CSTO.
According to Tasmagambetov, the CSTO offers very favorable conditions for participation, including priority to political and diplomatic methods of resolving crisis situations.
In February, 2023, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the freeze of Armenia's participation in the CSTO due to its inadequate assessment of Azerbaijan's aggressive actions against the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia. On March 12, Nikol Pashinyan allowed Armenia to leave the CSTO if Yerevan is not satisfied with the vision of the organization's partners on the issue of where the sovereign territory of Armenia is located and where the CSTO zone of responsibility lies. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called such rhetoric unacceptable and insulting, while also calling for a decision on whether they will remain in the Organization or leave.