Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that the next logical step for the country could be to leave the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
"I want to remind you that in our government program, we did not confirm that we would remain members of the CSTO. We identified certain questions, the answers to which will determine our decisions. When exactly the exit from the CSTO will happen, we will decide ourselves. This could happen in a month or a year," Pashinyan noted during a parliamentary session on June 13 in his concluding speech on the 2023 budget execution.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated that one of the CSTO member states participated in preparing the war against Armenia in 2020. He accused Belarus of this, noting that its leader admitted to being involved in the preparation of the 44-day war and supporting Azerbaijan.
In this regard, Pashinyan stated that he would never visit Belarus again as long as Alexander Lukashenko remains its president. He noted that from now on, no official representative of Armenia would go to Belarus.
"One of the CSTO leaders declares that he participated in the preparation of the 44-day war, encouraged it, believed in it, and wished for Azerbaijan's victory. After that, am I supposed to go and discuss the CSTO with the President of Belarus within the CSTO format? Although I will be forced to do so within the EAEU and EEC formats. Aren't you the ones who talk about dignity and principles?" Pashinyan addressed the opposition.
The Prime Minister added that the boycott decision could be reconsidered if Belarus decides to leave the CSTO or if the President of Belarus offers apologies and explanations that are understandable and acceptable to the Armenian people.
Shortly after Pashinyan's statement, it was announced that the Armenian Ambassador to Belarus had been summoned to Yerevan for consultations. This was reported by the spokesperson for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Ani Badalyan.
