Russia rebukes Armenian PM over CSTO security claims

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has issued a sharp rebuke to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan following his claims regarding the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Pashinyan previously asserted that Russia and the CSTO failed to fulfill their treaty obligations during border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia in September 2022. In response, Zakharova reminded the Prime Minister that the CSTO Secretary-General had visited Yerevan specifically to address member state defense, not for tourism.

Zakharova accused Pashinyan of failing to take necessary legal or political steps to ensure Armenian security. She noted that in November 2022, Pashinyan refused to sign a document regarding the deployment of a CSTO mission in Armenia. Furthermore, she referenced a Prague statement mediated by the European Union in October 2022, in which Yerevan recognized Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, including Nagorno-Karabakh. Zakharova concluded by telling Pashinyan to stop shifting responsibility onto others for his own decisions.