“Armenia's position is well known,” Putin told reporters after the latest CSTO summit held in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek. “Our Armenian colleagues say, ‘We support all decisions made by the CSTO and consider ourselves members of the organization, but at this stage we refrain from participating in its meetings.’”
“That's their choice,” he said. “If they believe it's possible to work this way, then so be it. We agree, and since they are members of the organization, we remain in contact with them.”
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced in early 2024 the suspension of Armenia’s membership in the Russian-led military alliance, accusing Russia and other member states of failing to honor security commitments to his country. Moscow rejected the accusations.
Pashinian indicated earlier this year that Yerevan will leave the CSTO altogether in the near future. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian said on Wednesday it is still in no rush to do so.
Russian leaders have sought to downplay the tensions with Yerevan in recent months. Meeting with Pashinian in Moscow in late September, Putin said Russian-Armenian relations are growing “in all areas.” He pointed to increased trade between the two countries which reached, according to Russian government data, a new record high of $11.7 billion last year.
Putin and Pashinian previously met on August 31 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin. It was their first face-to-face encounter in almost a year.