Maria Zakharova: Armenia’s decision not to participate in CSTO events does not meet interests of its people

Armenia’s decision not to participate in the CSTO events in Minsk is regrettable, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing on Wednesday, adding that it does not meet the interest of the Armenian people.

“The decision of the Armenian authorities not to participate in the joint meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of Defense and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils on November 22 and the session of the Collective Security Council of the CSTO on November 23 is, of course, regrettable,” Zakharova said.

She also noted that Armenia does not intend to block the work of the CSTO statutory bodies. This leaves the doors open for Yerevan.

“At the same time, as far as we understand, the Armenian colleagues do not intend to block the work of the organization’s statutory bodies or prevent the approval of already agreed documents. Basically, this leaves the doors open for Yerevan and allows it to join the work in the future,” she added.