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Leaving CSTO After Freezing Membership Makes Sense to Armenia, PM Pashinyan Says

YEREVAN (Sputnik) - The next logical step after freezing Armenia's membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) would be the country's withdrawal from the organization, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday.
Sputnik
On Wednesday, Pashinyan said that Armenia will withdraw from the CSTO when authorities deem it necessary.
"The next logical step will be Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO ... When this happens, we will decide for ourselves. Perhaps in a month, in a year, in three years," Pashinyan told Armenian lawmakers.
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On February 23, Pashinyan said Yerevan was freezing its participation in the CSTO, as the Collective Security Treaty had allegedly not been implemented with regard to Armenia. In March, Pashinyan said that Armenia would withdraw from the CSTO if the organization did not answer the questions raised by Yerevan regarding the sovereign territory of the country.
Earlier Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova explained that Moscow is actively discussing with Armenia its involvement in the anti-Russian policies of the Western countries and is trying to warn about possible risks.
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"We are well aware that for decades or even centuries, the United States and the collective West have used tactics of treating countries and people as tools. At the same time, hiding behind good intentions. If there have been no such examples in our region, one would probably think that the US and the collective West would not use this tactic to the post-Soviet space," Zakharova said.
Nevertheless, Russia believes that CSTO is a democratic organization and Armenia as a sovereign country is free to decide whether to go or stay.
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