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Akbar Novruz

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Armenia will not participate in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit scheduled to take place in Bishkek on November 27, Azernews reports via TASS Agency.

The announcement was made by Yuri Ushakov, assistant to the President of Russia. Ushakov noted that although Armenia will not attend the summit, the country does not object to the adoption of documents previously agreed upon within the CSTO framework.

He also added that Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a traditional press briefing following the visit.

The summit is expected to be attended by the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, as well as the current chairman of the CSTO Collective Security Council, Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov.

Tensions between Armenia and the CSTO have escalated over the past two years. In early 2023, Yerevan refused to host CSTO military exercises. In February 2024, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia was “freezing” its participation in the organization, arguing that the CSTO failed to meet its security obligations to Armenia in 2021 and 2022.

In May 2024, Armenia halted funding for CSTO programs. Although the organization confirmed it was aware of the decision, it maintained that Armenia remains a CSTO member.

In June, Pashinyan publicly declared Armenia’s intention to withdraw from the CSTO, stating, “There will be no turning back.”

Armenia has intensified its political and security ties with the United States, signing a strategic partnership charter earlier this year and launching discussions on nuclear energy cooperation.

Relations between Yerevan and the Russian-led bloc have deteriorated significantly, with Armenia accusing the CSTO of failing to respond during the period when Russian peacekeepers were stationed in Garabagh and adjacent regions.