Armenia can leave the CSTO, but not the region — Viktor Soghomonyan

Speaking with Alpha News, Viktor Soghomonyan, political scientist and professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, touched upon the Armenian authorities’ statements about withdrawing from the CSTO.

“If Russia wins the regional battle and the region remains under the influence of the post-Soviet Russian superpower, we can say that Armenia can withdraw from the CSTO and the EAEU but cannot leave the region. And the region will force us to return to both the CSTO and the EAEU. From this point of view, we ended up in a simple situation that was understood in both Georgia and Azerbaijan. We are having mental exercises, they say; we will ‘leave the CSTO.’ Where are you going to go?” Viktor Soghomonyan said.

He noted that if we leave the region, we will not be able to return.

“If we leave the region, we won’t come back. There is simply no other globe where we can go and settle down. Looking ahead, if Russia resists and wins the battle, this region will be under the influence of the Russian superpower for a very long time. I believe there will be no other options here,” Viktor Soghomonyan said.