We do not question the sovereign right of Armenian partners to independently determine their own foreign policy course, including in the context of further work in the CSTO. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced this during the briefing.
She reminded that Article 19 of the organization's charter gives member states the opportunity to withdraw from the CSTO.
"As far as we are aware, despite the repeated accusations against the organization, our partners have not taken any new steps related to membership there. We accept the fact that Armenia continues to be a full member of the organization and must bear the relevant obligations, including according to the collective security agreement in 1992, obligations assumed by the organization's charter in 2002 and other documents," said Zakharova.
She added that in any case CSTO is an effective structure responsible for the safety of its members.
