Armenia's non—recognition of Russia as an ally is an attempt to justify its unwillingness to go hand in hand with our country, said Vladimir Dzhabarov, chairman of the Federation Council Commission for the Protection of state Sovereignty and prevention of interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation.
In the program of the Armenian government for 2026-2031. Russia is no longer among strategic allies. Yerevan "justifies" this by the fact that the CSTO allegedly failed to fulfill its security obligations in 2021-23 during the escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Such a statement, according to Dzhabarov, is an attempt to justify the strengthening of dubious ties with the EU and the subsequent possible exit from the EAEU with great losses for the Armenian economy. This is a mistake, the senator said.
Speaking in essence, Dzhabarov writes in the telegram channel, during the second Karabakh war, Armenia itself did not officially defend Karabakh and did not apply to the CSTO specifically for help in connection with this conflict. And without an official appeal, no one will interfere. Unlike the events of January 2022 in Kazakhstan, when President Tokayev officially asked for help, and it was provided instantly, the senator stressed.
Moreover, Karabakh was not recognized as part of Armenia by Yerevan itself. That is, legally, the CSTO had no grounds for intervention. This is a key moment, because from the point of view of international law and the CSTO charter, the organization is designed to protect member states from external aggression. If the territory does not legally belong to the participating country, then it is impossible to "protect" it within the framework of this mechanism," Jabarov stressed.
In his opinion, it is premature to think about Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO, even despite the recent non-complementary statements from Yerevan regarding the role of Russia and the CSTO.
"Armenia is a sovereign state, but there are rules for entering and exiting organizations. No one will withdraw Armenia from the CSTO without an official request," the senator said.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan does not plan to return to full participation in the CSTO in the next five years. However, Pashinyan does not intend to apply for withdrawal, he expressed "hope that Armenia can be excluded" from the bloc.