Moscow yet to receive Armenia's decision on CSTO membership: Lavrov
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Russia's Foreign Minister says the current situation with Yerevan is "not a pretty picture."
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In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends the 3+3 meeting in Tehran, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023 (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service)
Russia awaits Armenia's final decision regarding its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday.
"We are waiting when we will all receive an official confirmation of what the final decision [of Armenia on the CSTO membership] will be. They say: here we will de facto freeze [the participation] in the CSTO, and if we want we can de jure freeze [it] or de jure quit it," Lavrov told reporters during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, adding that the current situation is "not a pretty picture."
Read more: Armenia trying to sever ties with Moscow: Russia FM
Armenia has decided to bet on countries foreign to the region, "which are courting Yerevan and promising to help Yerevan in all its troubles, as long as Armenia breaks off relations with Russia and the integration structures" that have been set in place in the region, he said.
Moscow expresses regret that Yerevan has chosen to pursue a path of deteriorating relations with Russia, placing blame on Moscow regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, the Minister added, noting that it was Russia that halted the conflict in the region.
Russia and Armenia were traditionally allies, but relations soured when Russian peacekeepers did not intervene during the Azerbaijan-Armenia recent war on Nagorno-Karabakh.
The armed confrontation ended with Azerbaijan taking control over the long-disputed region last September, after which Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan officially acknowledged that his country recognizes the lost region as part of Azerbaijan's sovereign territory.
Pashinyan announced last month the suspension of his country's participation in the Russia-led security bloc.
Moreover, Yerevan abstained from attending a CSTO summit last year.
"We believe that the CSTO did not fulfill its objectives vis-a-vis Armenia in 2021 and 2022," Pashinyan told the France 24 channel in an interview.
As a signal of its aspirations for fresh security assurances, Yerevan aims to increase reliance on its Western allies, particularly France and the United States, rather than Russia.
Further revealing the growing rift between the two neighbors, Armenia officially became a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the beginning of February, despite warnings from Moscow urging the nation against doing so.
As a result, Yerevan is now obligated to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he enters Armenian territory, according to an ICC arrest warrant issued for the Russian leader in March 2023.
