I Stand by My Opinion: Alen Simonyan on Leaving the CSTO

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, who is set to make an official visit to Moscow, will discuss all problematic issues related to Russia and Armenia.

In an interview with reporters at the National Assembly today, Simonyan stated, "I will discuss issues related to the CSTO and the Armenia-Russia mutual assistance treaty, for which Armenia has submitted a request and has yet to receive a response; not even a 'no' response has been received."

To the question of whether it is time to leave the CSTO, the Speaker replied, "You know what, let's not answer that question because it is quite possible that the CSTO might decide to withdraw from Armenia altogether. Because this organization is not responding adequately, I maintain my opinion that we need to think long and hard and understand. But at the same time, this is not a gamble where we make hasty decisions without understanding what we will do later and what will follow. But it is clear that there is a problem. I will talk about this and insist on my statements made during the broadcast on Public Television."