Kocharyan: Armenia`s CSTO Membership allowed it to acquire weapons  below market value; forfeiting this opportunity is unwise

ArmInfo. Armenia's membership in the CSTO has allowed the country to procure weapons at below-market rates, as stated by Robert Kocharyan, the second president of Armenia and the prime ministerial candidate from the  Armenia bloc, in an interview with Armenia TV.

"I do not consider it wise to give this up. Furthermore, need to  understand that Russia is the key CSTO country.  Yes, there are  issues, but they do not lie solely within the dimension that the  Armenian side focuses on," the former President of Armenia stated. 

In this vein, he reiterated that most CSTO members, with the  exception of Russia, have better relations with Azerbaijan than with  Armenia. According to him, Yerevan should reflect on the underlying  reasons for this rather than placing the blame on others.

 "We must build our relations with Russia. Kyrgyzstan has no  interests here. I'm somewhat disappointed with the CSTO myself, but  the situation must be viewed from a practical standpoint. We have  bilateral agreements with the Russian Federation, yet the Armenian  authorities are doing nothing to activate them.  While I do not pin  high hopes on the CSTO, leaving it would be akin to shooting  ourselves in the foot," Kocharyan noted, adding that purchasing  untested Indian weaponry is not the best course of action.

Kocharyan pointed out that procurement from multiple different  countries is fraught with technical challenges, noting that in modern  warfare, only seconds pass between a reconnaissance drone signal and  the activation of a fire control system. "Indian, French, Iranian,  and Russian armaments all run on different software. This diversity  severely hinders the development of an integrated command and control  system," Kocharyan stated.

Recall, Armenia has been boycotting events  within the framework of  the CSTO since late 2022. In February 2024, Armenian Prime Minister  Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia had practically frozen its  participation in the CSTO because the Organization failed to fulfill  its obligations toward the Republic of Armenia, an issue that could  not be left without consequences. Later, on September 18, 2024,  speaking at the Second Pan Armenian Summit, Pashinyan asserted that  the CSTO poses threats to Armenia's security, its future existence,  sovereignty, and statehood.