Russia Ally Won’t Rule Out ‘Other Steps’ After Putin ‘Mini-NATO’ Snub

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “mini-NATO” may be facing yet more turbulence as Armenia demands “concrete” action from Moscow over longtime concerns that the Collective Security Treaty Organization is failing to protect Yerevan.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan—whose relations with Moscow have been fraying amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and repeated clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces—fired his latest broadside at the CSTO this week.

“The freezing of relations with the CSTO means that Armenia does not have a permanent representative to the CSTO and does not participate in high-level and top-level events,” the prime minister said.

Responding to Pashinyan’s remarks this week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: “We categorically reject the reproaches of the Armenian authorities.”

Varuzhan Nersesyan—Armenia’s ambassador to the U.K. and Ireland—told Newsweek in an interview on Thursday that the ball is now in the Kremlin’s court.

“The question is not about Armenia and how Armenia views the CSTO, but rather about the CSTO and how it recognizes its mission towards Armenia,” he said. “Our question is: what is the area of responsibility towards the Republic of Armenia? Because when Armenia has been attacked, Armenia—based on treaty obligations of its partners—has applied for support, and in our understanding, we have not received that support.”

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry by email to request comment.

Non-Collective Security?

In 2021, Yerevan appealed to the CSTO over Azerbaijan’s offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed region internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory but since 1991 controlled by the ethnic-Armenian Republic of Artsakh. CSTO, though, did not interpret the attack as an act of aggression.

The entire Artsakh area fell to Azerbaijani forces in a lightning offensive in 2023, following a long blockade of the arterial Lachin Corridor road connecting Artsakh to Armenia. Russian peacekeepers deployed to protect the road after the 2020 conflict were unable to prevent the resurgence of fighting.

“There are legitimate questions to ask both the Russian Federation and Collective Security Treaty Organization given their commitments towards Armenia,” Nersesyan explained.

“It’s up to Russia what steps Russia can take to ease or to give comfort to Armenia’s concerns. Because our issues are clear,” he said “It is about the borders and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, that has been violated by Azerbaijan.

“During the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh when the road was blockaded in violation of the ceasefire agreement, we have not seen any concrete action, because the road was supposed to be under the control of the Russian Federation.”

Now, the ambassador said, Yerevan wants concrete commitments.

“Our aim is to find a situation which best answers Armenia’s national security requirements,” he said. “I have no prejudices at this stage as to which way those discussions will go.”

Asked if that might mean full withdrawal from the CSTO alliance, Nersesyan replied: “I cannot comment on that at this stage…We have asked this question to the CSTO, it is for them to decide what is their area of responsibility towards the Republic of Armenia.

“We said what we said, that Armenia has frozen its participation in the organization de facto. We have to see, based on the outcome of this discussion, whether there are other steps we will take, whether it will become de jure.”

Bilateral relations between Yerevan and Moscow have been badly frayed in recent years. Russian troops remain deployed within Armenia and along its borders, but Pashinyan has repeatedly expressed his discontent with the relationship. Last year, the prime minister told The Wall Street Journal he sees no benefit in the continued Russian military presence.

“These events have essentially brought us to a decision that we need to diversify our relationships in the security sphere, and we are trying to do that now,” Pashinyan said after the latest round of fighting broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh.

France—which has piqued Russian fury with its backing of Ukraine and President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion of deploying NATO troops in the country—has put itself in prime position.

In February, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu traveled to Armenia to deliver night vision goggles and discuss several new weapons deals. Armenia signed a contract to buy French assault rifles and is involved in discussions over short-range Mistral missiles.

“Armenia basically diversifies—given these latest developments—its foreign policy, its defense policies and tries to bring it to such a position that it offers a better and more effective protection of Armenia’s borders and territorial integrity,” Nersesyan said.