Russia respects Armenia’s independent choice to suspend its active participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov said at a news briefing, TASS reported.
"We do not call into question the right of our Armenian partners to chart their independent course," the diplomat noted. "De jure, Yerevan remains a full-fledged member of the CSTO and retains all its rights and obligations therein," he added.
"The CSTO’s doors remain open to Armenia, when it decides to actually return, and we hope that sooner or later Armenian representatives will resume their cooperation within the framework of this organization," Ushakov concluded.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan had frozen its participation in the CSTO, claiming that the organization created threats for the republic’s sovereignty. At an international security forum in Warsaw, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that Yerevan was considering all risks of its potential withdrawal from the CSTO. However, Armenia has not made any specific decisions on leaving the organization.
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