There Is No Visible Alternative to CSTO for Armenia’s Security Assurance: Galuzin

We proceed from the fact that remaining within the CSTO and fully participating in the organization’s consultations and discussions primarily aligns with the interests of the Armenian people and the Armenian state. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Galuzin, in an interview with Izvestia.

“Objectively, in our opinion, there is no visible alternative to the CSTO mechanism for ensuring Armenia’s security. Moreover, the member states of the CSTO have always been open and remain open to providing assistance to Yerevan. In due time, Armenia was offered measures of a military-technical nature, as well as initiatives related to the training of specialized personnel and sending a CSTO observer mission to the border regions of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, at that stage, these ideas and proposals did not receive approval and were not implemented,” Galuzin said.

He expressed hope that the sooner Yerevan overcomes its doubts regarding the CSTO and returns to constructive, effective, and meaningful discussions on the organization’s agenda issues at the political and expert levels, the better.