Russian expert: West will constantly put great pressure on CSTO  countries, and on Armenia, in particular

ArmInfo.The West will constantly put great pressure on the CSTO countries, and, in particular, on Armenia. Dmitry Suslov,  Deputy Director at Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the  Centre for  Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) stated in discussions "Armenia at a crossroads. CSTO or NATO, non-bloc status", organized by the Analytical Center for Strategic Studies and Initiatives of the Republic of Armenia.

According to him, this pressure is aimed at reorienting the CSTO  countries to fight against Russia.  Expressing confidence that the  war in Ukraine will last for a long time and will not end with a  peace treaty, despite the initiatives of the Russian Federation along  the entire front line, the expert noted that against the background  of the worsening situation in Ukraine, the West is already increasing  its anti-Russian policy in other regions, including in the CSTO  space. This puts the countries of the Organization in a difficult  position, since they cannot completely reorient themselves towards  Russia due to this pressure, but they cannot cut off ties with their  CSTO partner. The expert forecasts that Russia, after its victory in  Ukraine, will continue to dominate the post-Soviet space. In his  opinion, the CSTO countries can only maintain the status quo, not go  over to Russia's side in the Ukrainian issue, but also not allow the  West to use them in anti-Russian politics. "After the victory in  Ukraine, Russia will become stronger, it will have the most powerful,  battle-hardened army in Eurasia, so it is advisable for the CSTO  countries to maintain good relations with it," the expert said.

In this context, he added that Armenia is moving in the exact  opposite direction, and from the Russian point of view, it is going  over to the enemy's side in the conditions of open confrontation  between the Russian Federation and the West. According to Suslov, the  current leadership of Armenia is not diversifying its foreign policy,  contrary to its claims. Constant rhetoric that Russia has failed in  its role as an ally, demonstrative accession to the International  Criminal Court, and the upcoming visit of Ukrainian President  Volodymyr Zelenskyy  to Yerevan will make Armenia one of the most  anti-Russian countries in the post-Soviet space. According to the  expert, Armenia's actions were largely determined by the belief in  Russia's defeat in Ukraine, but the Armenian authorities  miscalculated. "The price for reorienting to the West and going over  to the enemy's side will be high. It has already paid part of this  price - this is the loss of Nagorno- Karabakh," the director of the  Center said.