Sargis Khandanyan: No reason  to reactivate our CSTO membership

ArmInfo. Armenia's position remains unchanged: as announced years ago, the country has  frozen its membership in the CSTO and sees no way back, as stated by  Sargis Khandanyan, a lawmaker from the "Civil Contract" party and  Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, during a  briefing on August 11.

Khandanyan noted that the Armenian side will monitor developments and  official statements, but added, "I do not think there is any reason  or circumstance that could compel us to reactivate our participation  in the CSTO. You are aware of the reasons why we froze our  membership, and they remain unresolved. We have not even seen any  political-level statements condemning what happened regarding the  sovereign territory of Armenia in 2022–2023."

When asked by journalists how Armenia would respond if expelled from  the organization, Khandanyan said that any statement or decision at  this stage would be premature. However, in the event of an exclusion,  it would be necessary to discuss the situation to factor it into  future relations with the CSTO and its member states.

Recall, Armenia has boycotted CSTO events since late 2022. In  February 2024, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia  had effectively frozen its participation because the organization  failed to fulfill its obligations toward the republic. Subsequently,  on September 18, 2024, Pashinyan stated at the Second Global Armenian  Summit that the CSTO poses threats to Armenia's security, continued  existence, sovereignty, and statehood.