Armenia is on the path to withdraw from CSTO and EAEU, Surenyants says to Panorama.am

The Armenia-Russia relations are in a deep crisis and have reached an unprecedented low level. This was stated by political scientist Suren Surenyants in an interview with Panorama.am, referring to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statements regarding the CSTO and the response from Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

Surenyants assessed that Peskov's immediate reaction to Pashinyan's speech further indicates the serious issues present in the relations between the two countries.

"The section on 'Foreign Policy and Security' in the government's 2026-2031 program indicates a strategic course aimed at steadily withdrawing Armenia from Russian integration projects, including the CSTO and the EAEU," Surenyants told Panorama.am.

Surenyants also disagreed with views suggesting that Russia is definitively leaving the South Caucasus. According to him, the concentration of vast resources in Ukraine and Eastern Europe has temporarily reduced Russia's activity in the region, but this does not mean a definitive withdrawal.

The political scientist also warned about the potential consequences of the crisis in Armenian-Russian relations. He estimated that Russia could suffer losses in reputation and regional influence, while a sharp change in Armenia's foreign policy course could lead to a reduction of the economy by up to 20%, as well as severe security consequences.