Minister Suren Papikyan meeting with Armenian parliament committee on defense and security

YEREVAN — Armenian Defense Ministry Suren Papikyan did not participate in a regular meeting of the defense ministers of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states on Thursday.

The Armenian Defense Ministry gave no reason for Papikyan’s failure to attend the meeting held in Belarus’s capital Minsk.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other Armenian officials have repeatedly accused Russia and other ex-Soviet states making up the alliance of not fulfilling their obligation to defend Armenia against Azerbaijani attacks.

Pashinyan said on Monday that he will pull his country out of the alliance “if we conclude that the CSTO has left Armenia.” The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, claimed to be bemused by his remarks while warning of their potentially “dangerous” consequences.

Pashinyan hit back at Zakharova later on Wednesday, saying that she “cannot be my interlocutor.”

“My interlocutors are the president and the prime minister of the Russian Federation,” he told the Armenian parliament. “Even the Foreign Ministry spokesperson of a friendly and respected country like Russia cannot comment on my statements. She should just take note of my statements.”

Earlier this year, Yerevan cancelled a CSTO military exercise planned in Armenia. The drills are due to be held in Kyrgyzstan soon. It is not clear whether Armenians soldiers will take part in them.

Speaking at the Minsk meeting, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stressed the “importance” of Armenia’s participation in such events.

“Armenia is a member of our organization, our ally,” said Shoigu. “We are … doing everything to stabilize the situation in the South Caucasus.”

Shoigu also reaffirmed Russia’s and other CSTO members’ readiness to send monitors to Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. Echoing statements by other Russian officials, he claimed that the recent launch of such a monitoring mission by the European Union is part of the West’s efforts to drive Russia out of the region.

Pashinian’s government has rejected the proposed CSTO mission on the grounds that the alliance has not condemned the Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia. It has given the same reason for refusing “military-technical assistance” offered by Armenia’s CSTO allies last fall.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Get notified of the latest updates from MassisPost.

You May Also Like

Pasadena Armenian Community Members Meet with State Assembly Candidate Chris Holden

PASADENA — On Sunday, September 9, 2012, many Armenian community leaders and…

Spanish City of Sabadell Recognizes Armenian Genocide

The Spanish city of Sabadell in Catalonia,  has officially recognized the Armenian…

Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide: Mensur Akgün

By Hambersom Aghbashian Professor Mensur Akgün is a Turkish political analyst, civil…

Russian Troops Hold Military Drills in Armenia

YEREVAN — Large-scale drills with the participation of Russian troops, located in…