Gurgen Arsenian, the Armenian ambassador to Russia, joined his counterparts from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday. According to a Russian readout of the meeting, they discussed “international and regional security” as well as preparations for the November 28 meeting in Astana of the foreign and defense ministers of CSTO member states.
Commenting on Arsenian’s presence at the meeting, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said that “Armenia's position on freezing participation in the work of the CSTO has not changed.” It did not say whether Yerevan will take part in the Astana gathering.
Armenia began boycotting high-level meetings, military exercises and other activities of the CSTO last fall before announcing an effective suspension of its membership in the organization. The move reflected a broader deterioration of Russian-Armenian relations. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s administration has been seeking to reorient Armenia towards the West in response to what it sees as Russia’s and the CSTO’s failure to honor their security commitments to the South Caucasus state.
Pashinian declared in September that Yerevan’s relationship with its ex-Soviet allies is likely to reach the “point of no return” because the CSTO poses an existential threat to his country. The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the claim as illogical, arguing that Pashinian is still careful not to leave the alliance altogether.
Senior Russian officials have repeatedly said in recent months that Western powers cannot offer any viable alternatives to Armenia’s security and economic development.