Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko has warned that Armenia would lose a great deal if it withdrew from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), arguing that the alliance acted in accordance with its founding documents during the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
Commenting on Yerevan’s position, Matviyenko described Armenia’s grievances against the organization as unfounded, Interfax reports.
“It seems to me that this unfounded resentment toward the CSTO during the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is, in my opinion, an attempt to shift responsibility for Karabakh onto Russia and the CSTO. Under those circumstances, the CSTO acted, I emphasize once again, strictly in accordance with its founding documents,” she stated.
Matviyenko emphasized that remaining in or withdrawing from the CSTO was Armenia’s sovereign right. However, she warned that if Yerevan decided to terminate its membership, “Armenia would lose a great deal.”
At the CSTO summit held in Moscow on November 11, participants decided to strip Armenia of its voting rights within the organization and its ability to appoint representatives to senior positions.
