Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu stated that Armenia’s leadership is seeking protection directly from the “source of threats,” though he added that this is the choice of the Armenian authorities.
Shoigu made the remarks during a meeting of the Security Council Secretaries Committee of Collective Security Treaty Organization member states, according to RIA Novosti.
“It is regrettable that our Armenian colleagues in the organization do not understand this and are seeking protection directly from the source of threats. However, this is the choice of Armenia’s leadership and its responsibility for the future of its country and people,” Shoigu said.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has previously stated that it is unrealistic to expect changes regarding Armenia’s return to the CSTO.
During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 1, Pashinyan said: “We have never concealed our position regarding the CSTO, because in 2022 we faced a concrete situation. In my opinion, CSTO mechanisms should have been activated, but they were not, and this, of course, led to the current situation in our relations with the CSTO. We are currently not participating in CSTO activities for a simple reason: to this day we have been unable to explain to our people and citizens why the CSTO did not respond, despite the obligations that exist under the Collective Security Treaty.”
