Not only Armenia: the CSTO in Moscow can make continental decisions. It should work out, says Natalia Strechkova, a political commentator.
Important events within the CSTO will take place in Moscow next week, including a meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council. As discreetly stated in the announcement of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the participants will discuss the military-political situation in the world, the situation and prospects of regional and global security.
At the same time, everyone understands that Armenia will also need to be discussed - it's time to make some kind of decision, given that the CSTO has big plans to create a security system not only in its region. And to do this, you already need to seriously approve your collective organization.
In what spirit the Armenian membership discussion is being prepared is roughly clear: Russia has proposed to consider the application of Article 25 of the CSTO treaty to Armenia, according to which the organization can deprive the republic of voting rights and the right to propose candidates for quota positions, but the final exclusion has not yet been formalized.
And it is likely that this offer will be accepted. There is no doubt about this in the Pashinyan government, which in advance began to put a good face on a bad game:
"I want us to record from now on that Armenia's interests in connection with the CSTO have been exhausted, we no longer have them," he said on the eve of the summit in Moscow.
Well, so exhausted, so exhausted, what's the matter - pack up and leave. However, Pashinyan's words seem only decisive: Yerevan is not institutionalizing the final break with the CSTO, because, they say, the "exclusion mechanism" is not spelled out.
But this is not so - let them read Article 20 of the Convention. And the procedure for the initiated withdrawal from the CSTO is also formulated quite clearly in the document - in section 19. It states that you must fulfill all your obligations to the organization, including repayment of arrears in contributions, and send a notice to the CSTO Secretary General of your intention to leave the organization. Six months later, if he doesn't change his mind, that's it: the country is no longer in the CSTO.