ArmInfo.Armenia wants to be part of the European Union, and therefore wants to leave the CSTO led by Russia - Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan stated this during his visit to Latvia to Rus.LSM (the joint news portal of Latvian Radio and Latvian Television).
It is noted that security in the South Caucasus, a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the further development of relations between Armenia and the EU are the main topics that the President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan discussed today with his Latvian counterpart Daiga Mierina in Riga.
"We talked about the fact that Armenia is on its way to the European Union. And that's why he wants to leave the CSTO led by Russia. Armenia also informed us that the Russian military is gradually leaving the country," shared Daiga Mierina.
The source notes that earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also announced the freezing of Armenia's participation in the CSTO. The reason was Russia's inaction during the armed conflict in Nagorno- Karabakh. The region completely came under the control of Azerbaijan. This showed that the agreement on collective security in relation to Armenia is not being implemented. And now Armenia plans to seek support in another alliance.
"What is happening in our region is the same story as in Ukraine. The characters are just slightly different. We need support for long-term peace. We have no territorial claims against our neighbors. All we need is the desire of the Azerbaijani government to establish peace. And in this we need help from Latvia and other European partners. We share the values of Latvia and EU members, so we need support to become a full- fledged member of the EU family>, President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan told Rus.LSM.
What might Russia's reaction be if Armenia joins the EU? Armenia does not expect good relations between the countries in the near future. Especially under the current Russian government, there is no trust. >, said Alen Simonyan.
"Armenia's path to Europe is also supported by Latvia. Speaker of the Seimas Daiga Mierina noted that she sees Armenia in a single family of democratic countries. In October 2023, Latvia allocated 100 thousand euros to Armenia to overcome the post-Karabkha crisis, when there was a massive influx of refugees in the country. During his visit to Latvia, Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan also met with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevich and Foreign Minister Baiba Brazhe, visited the Museum of Occupation and laid flowers at the Freedom Monument," writes LSM.lv.