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Armenian Opposition Leader Vows to Retain Country's CSTO Membership

YEREVAN (Sputnik) – Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan vowed on Friday to retain the country’s membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in case of coming to power.
Sputnik

Earlier in the day, the demonstrators staged a motor rally from Yerevan to the city of Gyumri which lasted for over four hours. Pashinyan made stops in some settlements to talk with residents. The opposition leader called on acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and the cabinet to resign as well as vowed to continue the protests.

"I guarantee that Armenia will remain a CSTO member … because that is in line with the Armenian national interests. We are working on making the organization more effective and so that it will ensure additional security guarantees for Armenia and Karabakh," Pashinyan said.

He also reaffirmed the opposition’s commitment to Armenian obligations under agreements with the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

"We state that Armenia will stick to all the international obligations including those with the European Union and the EAEU," Pashinyan added.

READ MORE: Armenian Opposition Chief and Supporters Arrive in Second Largest City of Gyumri

Rallies in Armenia started on April 13 in the wake of Serzh Sargsyan's nomination as prime minister. Sargsyan, who served two five-year consecutive terms as president until April 9, was accused of trying to get around presidential term limits, since the 2015 constitutional amendments transferred governing powers from the president to the head of the government. The ex-president resigned as prime minister amid the protests.

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Supporters of Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan stage a rally in Yerevan, Armenia April 25, 2018
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Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan addresses supporters during a rally in Yerevan, Armenia April 25, 2018
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A participant in a protest rally against the election of former President Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister of Armenia in Yerevan
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A demonstrator argues with riot police during a protest against Armenia's ruling Republican party's nomination of former President Serzh Sarksyan as its candidate for prime minister, in Yerevan, Armenia April 16, 2018. Photolure/Vahram Baghdasaryan via REUTERS NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
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Armenia's Foreign Minister Edouard Nalbandian, left, and Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu sign documents during the signing ceremony of a peace accord between Turkey and Armenia in Zurich, Switzerland Saturday Oct. 10, 2009
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People march during a protest against the appointment of ex-president Serzh Sarksyan as the new prime minister in Yerevan, Armenia April 23, 2018
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