Warns Armenia Against Leaving CSTO
Russia said Armenia’s “thoughtless steps” may make the joint efforts of Moscow and the Collective Security Treaty Organization to create a single defense system impossible, warning Armenia against plans to leave the Russia-led security bloc.
The remarks were made by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in an interview with the Tass news agency that was published in its entirely on Wednesday. In portions of the interview released on Tuesday, Galuzin blamed Armenia for rejecting CSTO proposals, instead opting to engage the European Union to provide a monitoring mission, which he said is collecting intelligence against Russia and Azerbaijan.
“Yerevan is taking advantage of the current situation when the West is showing great interest in strengthening cooperation, including in the security sector,” Galuzin said.
“However, thoughtless decisions that will provide Westerners with full access to national databases, sensitive information for the country’s security, not only threaten the sovereignty of the state, but may also make it objectively impossible to return to the joint efforts of Russia and other CSTO allies toward building a single defense area,” Galuzin emphasized.
Galuzin expressed confidence, however, that Armenia’s full participation in the work of the CSTO first of all meets the interests of the Armenian people and serves to maintain peace and stability in the South Caucasus.
“Membership in the organization, as well as close ties with our country in the military sector, have become a key factor in the progressive development of independent Armenia in recent decades,” Galuzin said. “No matter what the West—who are actively flattering Yerevan—promises, today there is no viable alternative to the CSTO as a mechanism for ensuring Armenia’s security.”
The Russian deputy foreign minister argued that while Russia is genuinely interested in establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus, the interests of the West are radically different.
“One of the main tasks [for the West] is the disruption of the integration processes in Eurasia, our shared integration projects—the CSTO, the CIS, the EAEU—are a bone in their throats,” Galuzin said. “For the sake of achieving that goal, Washington and its allies are ready to take any step, including the destabilization of the internal political and socioeconomic situation of Russia’s neighbors.”
Galuzin added that it is beneficial for the West to maintain the focus of tension in the post-Soviet space in order to weaken Russia, which, in fact, “remains the main guarantor of security here.”
The Russian deputy foreign minister went on to accuse Armenia’s foreign and defense ministries are cutting off contacts with their Russian counterparts.
“There have been no [bilateral] meetings of the foreign ministers since November 2023,” Galuzin pointed out. “Our partners did not show any interest in our proposal to work out and conclude a plan of another stage of inter-departmental consultations.”
“It is not our fault that there has been a noticeable decline in the dynamics of bilateral contacts in the sphere of defense. The military and technical cooperation is also on the decline,” he added.
“We view such developments as stemming from the pressure being exerted by the Western countries [on Armenia] that are seeking to force Yerevan into minimizing all ties with our country,” Galuzin explained.
“Nevertheless, we hope that the publicly voiced intention of the Armenian authorities to work toward the elimination of problematic issues and concerns will be implemented on a practical level. We are ready for it,” emphasized Galuzin.
The Russian deputy foreign minister said despite these setbacks Yerevan and Moscow continue their bilateral efforts, namely in the trade and economy sectors. He pointed out that Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk is regular contact with his Armenian counterpart Mher Grigoryan, specifically as it relates to the Eurasian Economic Union, which is currently chaired by Armenia.