ArmInfo.Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan, at an online press conference, commented on a possibility of using the CSTO forces to suppress the opposition in Armenia, similarly to the developments in Kazakhstan.
"After November 9, 2020, developments undesirable to the government have occurred in Armenia. We have shown the ways out. After the November 9 events, when the Government, National Assembly and premier's residence, as well as the Parliament speaker, were assaulted, Armenia's authorities did not fire a single shot or use force. We resorted to snap elections," he said.
As to the reasons why the CSTO did not crush the 2018 revolution, Mr Pashinyan stated that no violent incidents were recorded in Armenia in 2018, whereas street fights were taking place in Kazakhstan when the CSTO troops were dispatched there.
As to the fact that the CSTO did not respond to Armenia's applications after the Azerbaijani incursion into its territory, but were conducting an operation in Kazakhstan and, in this context, whether Armenia could refrain from that operation pleading a threat to its security, Mr Pashinyan pointed out a need for improving the OSCE response mechanisms.
"Armenia needs an effective CSTO. We stated the CSTO forces cannot be involved in domestic political processes. They could only protect strategic facilities. Armenia's troops protected a bakery, and I do not think it is something reprehensible. Protecting a bakery does not have any effect on domestic political processes," Mr Pashinyan said.