‘This is a very big political mistake’: Former CSTO Secretary General on Yerevan’s position

On the sidelines of the IX Primakov Readings International Forum, former Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha commented to Alpha News on the boycott by the Armenian authorities of the CSTO events and exercises.

When asked whether the current policy of the Armenian authorities could lead to Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO, Bordyuzha said, “Yes, it can lead to everything. I believe this is a very big political mistake. These are whims, and whims are unacceptable in politics. One need to assess the situation soberly, and the situation is such that Armenia does not have many friends, especially in its surroundings. It needs to hold on to each friend it has. And maybe forgive its friend if it suddenly felt that the actions of certain states were wrong. But I, for example, have not seen any mistakes on the part of Russia, so I think it is just a political mistake of the Armenian authorities.”

He also answered the question of whether the West will be able to replace Russia in the security sphere for Armenia.

“I don’t think so. The West has completely different interests, and the whole history shows that the West is fighting only for itself, and for no one else. Therefore, I believe that Armenia had a security system, it just needed to be developed and preserved,” Bordyuzha said.