Oppositionist: Armenian government has failed its program, including  through CSTO

ArmInfo.The Armenian government failed its own five-year program, which was approved by  the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. MP from the Armenia opposition faction Armen Rustamyan stated  on March 15 during a hearing in the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relation, which discussed the implementation of the RA government program.

As an example, he cited the provisions of the Cabinet's program  regarding relations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization  (CSTO). The government document, Rustamyan continued, states that  "the CSTO is an essential component of ensuring the security of  Armenia, and the RA government will continue to work to actively  engage in its work." Meanwhile, the MP continued, the report of the  RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the implementation of the program  notes that Yerevan has minimized relations with the CSTO, actually  freezing its participation in its statutory bodies. "The question  arises: has the government's program been fulfilled? What right do  you have to do so if the document has a legal basis and is approved  by the country's parliament," the oppositionist addressed the head of  the RA Foreign Ministry Ararat Mirzoyan.

In response, the head of the republic's foreign policy department  noted that today we are talking about the implementation of the  government program for 2021-2026 in 2023. In 2021, the situation was  somewhat different from what it was in 2023. Over the past period of  time, there were developments that could not but influence the  actions of officials. "There was an attack on the Republic of  Armenia, the inviolability of the state's borders was violated, and  the organization that is called upon to ensure the security of the  state not only did not record this attack as a fact, but also did not  take appropriate diplomatic, and even more so, military actions," in  turn, asking Rustamyan which side he supports.

On this occasion, the MP stated that he was on the side of the  National Assembly, which adopted the program, and which the  government of the country is obliged to implement. "To change the  program, the Cabinet of Ministers could present a new document that  would meet the requirements of the time, especially since the  government has a ruling majority in parliament. I am on the side of  people with a state- centric thinking, and I object to the deliberate  actions of the government that contradict the RA Constitution," said  Rustamyan, demanding the resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers.

In response to this remark, the Foreign Minister noted that in  relations with the CSTO, great efforts were made to ensure that the  Organization came up with appropriate formulations regarding Armenia.  "You are trying by all possible means to reduce the existing problems  to the resignation of the government, but the only way to change  power is parliamentary elections," Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized.

On March 12, at a press conference, RA Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan, speaking about freezing relations with the CSTO, called  not to confuse Yerevan's position towards the CSTO with legal  processes. He did not rule out the possibility of the republic's  complete withdrawal from the Organization. Currently, the head of the  Armenian Cabinet continued, Yerevan does not take part in meetings of  the CSTO and its statutory bodies. Pashinyan added that Armenia did  not create problems for the CSTO on any issue. "If the borders of  Armenia are a "red line" for the CSTO, let it demonstrate this,  including on the issue of where the sovereign territory of Armenia  is. But no answer to our questions was received," the RA Prime  Minister noted.