“We are not going to change our stance, and we do not see our return to the CSTO,” Mirzoyan told reporters.
He commented on former CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha’s statement that Armenia should be kicked out of the organization because of refusing to participate in its activities.
The current secretary general, Taalatbek Masadykov, told the TASS news agency last week that the presidents of Russia and four other CSTO member states could do that at their next summit scheduled for November 11. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly said that he is not worried about such a prospect.
“I would be very glad if the organization decided to exclude the Republic of Armenia from the CSTO,” Pashinian told the Armenian parliament in late August. “At least, it would spare us the dilemma of whether or not to withdraw from the organization.”
Pashinian froze Armenia’s membership in the CSTO about three years ago, accusing Russia and other CSTO allies of failing to honor their security commitments to his country. He went on to declare that the alliance poses an existential threat to it. Moscow has dismissed the accusations.
Yerevan also risks losing its membership in another Russian-led bloc, the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Pashinian’s government is seriously concerned about such a possibility, mindful of the Armenian economy’s heavy dependence on Russia.
In May, the presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan urged Yerevan to hold a referendum on remaining part of the EEU or continuing to seek membership in the European Union. A joint report released by their governments on October 1 effectively recommended a suspension of Armenia’s EEU membership. Pashinian slammed the report, saying that it is part of Moscow’s efforts to depose him.