CSTO Chief urges caution over Armenia’s possible withdrawal

Events surrounding Armenia’s possible withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should not be anticipated, as the position of the country’s leadership may differ from that of the Armenian people, CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said in an interview with TASS.

Asked what decision could be expected regarding Armenia’s membership in the organization at the upcoming meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council (CSC), scheduled to be held in Moscow in November, Masadykov said that the decision on whether Armenia should leave the organization or remain a member is made by the heads of CSTO member states.

“As the Secretariat, we cannot make a decision on behalf of one side or the other, so there is still a lot ahead. Whether this issue will be seriously discussed at the next CSC meeting in Moscow this November is also a question. The heads of state themselves make such decisions. Let us not anticipate events,” the secretary general said.

He added that the CSTO is aware of statements by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan regarding the country’s possible withdrawal from the organization.