As of: February 24, 2024, 11:48 a.m
By: Yekaterina Jalunina
Comments
Press
Split
Russian President Vladimir Putin (l.) and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a meeting in Moscow © Ilya Pitalev/Imago
In the past, Armenia and Russia were allies.
Armenia declares its withdrawal from a security alliance dominated by Russia and is increasingly turning to the West.
Armenia – The once close relations between Armenia and Russia are about to change.
Armenia has temporarily suspended participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which is dominated by Russia.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this in an interview with the
France 24
channel .
Pashinyan justified this step by saying that the CSTO had not fulfilled its goals towards Armenia in 2021 and 2022.
He also accused Moscow of a coordinated propaganda campaign against his government.
No official confirmation of Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO
The CSTO, which includes six former Soviet states, considers an attack on one member country to be an attack on all member countries.
However, the Kremlin said that there was no official confirmation of Armenia's exit so far and that it intended to contact its Armenian colleagues to clarify the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Russia's peacekeepers increase tensions
Azerbaijan took complete control of Nagorno-Karabakh in a large-scale military offensive in September and drove around 120,000 ethnic Armenians from the area.
Tensions between Armenia and Russia have been heightened by Russian peacekeepers in the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenia felt abandoned when Russia failed to intervene when Azerbaijan launched a military offensive and took control of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Western support for Armenia: France strengthens military ties
Faced with the threat from Azerbaijan, Armenia has increasingly turned to the West, particularly France and the United States.
France is currently supporting Armenia with weapons systems, while French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu brought night vision devices and rifles for the armed forces during his visit to Armenia.
France also signaled its willingness to supply anti-aircraft missiles to Armenia.
My news
Russia openly threatens to shoot down NATO jets – read “return of particularly aggressive attitude”.
1 hour ago
Big blow for Russia: Ukraine shoots down rare aircraft
High-tech from German forges: New horror for Putin's “strings of pearls” read
Russia escalates tensions on the border with Finland and sends thousands of refugees
Behind the front line: Partisans poison Putin's election fraudsters in Mariupollesen
Germany sends another warship to the Red Sea – frigate “Hamburg” with special armament
Despite Russian warnings, Armenia officially joined the International Criminal Court (ICC) in early February.
This means that Armenia would be obliged to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he visits the country.
(
afp/jek
)