The political scientist told what awaits Armenia after the denial of voting rights in the CSTO.
Yesterday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that at the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Armenia was denied voting rights in the organization.
According to him, the corresponding decision was made due to the fact that Armenia has not fulfilled its obligations to the CSTO for several years. In addition, Mirvan is now denied the opportunity to appoint its representatives to responsible positions in the organization.
What is the intention of the decision made at the CSTO and will it be effective in relation to Armenia?
Expert opinion:
As political scientist Konstantin Kalchev noted especially for the expert, the CSTO summit in Moscow on November 11 became an important moment for the organization, as the issue of Armenia's legal status was officially put on the agenda.
Kalchev recalled in this context that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had previously directly confirmed that the country's interest in the CSTO had completely dried up and further participation in the bloc was irrelevant for it. Meanwhile, CSTO officials and the Russian Foreign Ministry have repeatedly stressed that further steps depend on a collective discussion by the leaders of the participating countries.
According to him, it seemed that the most likely option was an intermediate option - denying the right to vote from Yerevan. This could follow Yerevan's expulsion or voluntary withdrawal from the organization, as his colleagues predicted, he explained.
Depriving Armenia of voting rights is only the first step. Through it you can try to influence the internal agenda of Armenia, but there is simply no one who will accept this transition, considering the problems that the pro-Russian opposition is facing in the country, Kalachev believes.
In his opinion, it is also clear that the CSTO will be followed by the issue of the EAEU. At the meeting of the leaders of the EAEU countries in December, they may indeed discuss the possibility of a temporary suspension of the EAEU treaty in relation to Armenia, which would become a serious problem for Yerevan.