Armenia no longer focuses on CSTO and seeks help from West, expert says

November 22 2023, 15:14

Opinion | Politics

Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies of Russia, commented to Alpha News on Armenia’s request to remove the document on the country’s assistance from the CSTO agenda.

According to the expert, the refusal of assistance comes as Armenia is no longer focused on collective support within the CSTO.

“Armenia will now seek help from the West. Azerbaijan has already said via Aliyev that France, by supplying weapons to Armenia, is trying to destabilize the situation in the South Caucasus and provoke a new conflict. Armenia expects that the West will help it and restrain Azerbaijan and Turkiye. I believe that the West can tell Azerbaijan not to start military operations there, but Azerbaijan won’t even start them so easily. Azerbaijan has now clearly established its borders in political terms. It will demand that, in response to the peace treaty, it be given a corridor to Nakhichevan,” Bruter said.

According to the expert, Armenia will not leave the CSTO now since the West does not want it yet.

“The West does not want Armenia to do this now, because in this case the influence of the West will be obvious. It wants Armenia to have a big fight with Russia before leaving the CSTO. For effect, the West needs an exit from the CSTO to be accompanied by a conflict to show that no one should be friends with Russia,” the expert concluded.