Cancellation of CSTO Exercises in Armenia Creates Difficulties for Allies, Zakharova

The cancellation of CSTO exercises in Armenia creates difficulties for allies, forcing a reconstruction of already coordinated programs among military departments. This was announced by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, during a press briefing, commenting on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement that Armenia does not find it appropriate to hold CSTO exercises on its territory.

“We assume that optimal solutions will be found,” Zakharova stated. She characterized the Prime Minister's announcement as significant and added that Armenia acts based on the primary challenges facing its armed forces.

Zakharova reminded that last year, Armenia did not allocate troops to participate in CSTO exercises in Kazakhstan.

It is worth noting that on January 1, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the CSTO “Indestructible Brotherhood-2023” peacekeeping exercises would take place in Armenia this year. In a press conference on January 10, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated that Armenia does not find it appropriate to conduct CSTO exercises in Armenia this year, adding that there had been a misunderstanding, as the Armenian Ministry of Defense had already informed the CSTO Joint Staff about this.