Putin does not rule out Armenia rejoining CSTO

ArmInfo. Russian President Vladimir Putin has commented on Armenia's absence from the CSTO  meeting in Astana, noting that each country has the right to choose its actions in the area of security.

 <Each country has the right to choose what and how it wants to do in the area of ensuring its  security. I believe that the current situation between Armenia and  the CSTO is most likely dictated by internal political processes  within Armenia itself,> Putin told journalists, RIA Novosti reports.   At the same time, the Russian president did not dismiss the  possibility of Armenia joining the CSTO in full capacity.

<Armenia has not officially announced its withdrawal from the  organization, but has stated that it is taking a break and supports  all the documents being adopted during today's meeting <...> If this  is the case, then it means that there is a possibility of Armenia  returning to full-scale work within the framework of the CSTO,>  as  reported by RBK.  The Russian President emphasized that <there was no  external aggression against Armenia, and the CSTO is designed to  protect against external aggression>.  <I think that the current  situation between Armenia and the CSTO is dictated by the domestic  political climate in Armenia, and, of course, the consequences of the  crisis in Karabakh,> he noted.