In a further display of resentment about Russia’s lack of assistance, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suggested on Monday that his country might leave the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).
As Azerbaijan has threatened Armenia with military force, Yerevan has grown increasingly angry with what it perceives as Russia’s failure to defend Armenia.
At a news conference in Yerevan, he stated, “I am not ruling out that Armenia will take a decision to withdraw from the CSTO,” if the bloc does not uphold its treaty duties.
Prior to the meetings that Russian President Vladimir Putin would host with the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, on Thursday in Moscow, Pashinyan made his comments.
The Caucasus neighbours have been attempting to negotiate a peace deal with assistance from the European Union and the United States because they have been locked in a territorial struggle for decades.
Russia, a longtime regional power broker, is displeased with the West’s diplomatic efforts in the Caucasus.
Since the security apparatus in the area is ineffective, we started talking about security issues with our Western allies, according to Pashinyan on Monday.
2020 and the 1990s saw two battles between Armenia and Azerbaijan over sovereignty of the Nagorno-Karabakh area in Azerbaijan, which is home to many Armenians.
In the autumn of 2020, six weeks of fighting came to an end with a truce mediated by Russia, which saw Armenia give up large portions of land it had long controlled.
Since the Soviet Union’s fall in 1991, Armenia has relied on Russia for both military and economic assistance, and it has accused Moscow of failing to uphold the peace in Karabakh.
The only land connection between Karabakh and Armenia was shut by Azerbaijani activists in December, which raised fears in Yerevan. Along the route, Azerbaijan installed a checkpoint manned by border officers in April.
Additionally, Yerevan claimed that Azerbaijan had engaged in military aggression by invading a portion of Armenian territory last year. Yerevan requested military assistance from the CSTO, but this request was never fulfilled.
The United States and the European Union have worked to mend relations between the Caucasus foes because Russia is mired in the Ukraine and unwilling to put undue pressure on Turkey, a crucial supporter of Azerbaijan.
