Official: Yerevan distances itself from CSTO due to Western pressure

"There is no question of Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO today," Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large for CSTO Affairs Viktor Vasilyev told Russian media, Azernews reports.

"The documents adopted during the mentioned session of the CSTO Collective Security Council, where the Armenian side did not participate, are now under consideration by Yerevan. Some of these documents have the consent of the Armenian side, from which we can conclude that there is no question of Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO," Vasiliev said.

Answering the question about Yerevan's non-participation in the CSTO events, the diplomat noted that this is the choice of the Armenian leadership, although it was made under pressure.

"In many ways, this situation is both a result of pressure from Westerners and the understandable emotions of the leadership and residents of Armenia," he noted.

Armenia's security, including in the military-technical sphere, is not possible without cooperation within the CSTO, Vasilyev said.

"Russia sees the West's attempts to use the situation in Armenia to inflame the situation in the entire region and informs Yerevan about it," he added.