Putin's "mini-NATO" is falling apart - is Armenia leaving military alliances out of disappointment?

Armenia's government is apparently considering leaving the CSTO military alliance. The reason is a disappointment with Vladimir Putin's support in the conflict with Azerbaijan.

Moscow - "I cannot rule out the possibility of Armenia's de jure exit from the CSTO or a freeze on its membership," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday (22 May), according to US magazine Newsweek. The Russian-dominated military alliance "Collective Security Treaty Organization" (CSTO) is also known as "Putin's mini-NATO". In the press conference, Pashinyan also said that Armenia may be willing to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has been embattled for decades, as part of Azerbaijan.

The possible withdrawal from the CSTO alliance is therefore related to criticism of the alliance on the part of Armenia. The CSTO is not fulfilling its protective function vis-à-vis Armenia, the head of government indicated. For this reason, he has now invited an EU observer mission to the conflict region and not CSTO observers, he said.

Withdrawal from Putin's "mini-NATO" CSTO has been discussed in Armenia for some time

The Armenian government is considered to be severely battered by the defeat in the war against its neighbor Azerbaijan. Many Armenians find the terms of the ceasefire, in which Yerevan renounced parts of Nagorno-Karabakh, humiliating. According to observers, a complete abandonment of the region is likely to provoke new unrest in Armenia.

According to the news portal Jam News, which analyzes news from the Caucasus, this option has been discussed in Armenia for some time, namely since "Azerbaijan's aggression against Armenia in September 2022". This was said by Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mnatsakan Safaryan. According to them, the Armenian authorities decided to continue cooperation with the Russian-led military bloc, although "the expectations of the Armenian side have not been fulfilled." In his opinion, the situation is still open, and the Armenian authorities continue to hope that discussions within the CSTO "will lead to certain results."

Ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan crumbles

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been engaged in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for decades. In the 1990s, the region, which is inhabited mainly by Armenians, was able to break away from Azerbaijan in a bloody civil war. In 2020, Baku regained control of part of the area after new fighting over a ceasefire agreement. A peacekeeping force from Vladimir Putin's Russia is to monitor compliance with the agreement.

However, the ceasefire is fragile. Until the end, there were repeated skirmishes between the two sides. The fighting also spread to other border areas of Armenia and Azerbaijan. (dpa/kat)