Armenia is looking for an alternative to Russian weapons and considers CSTO useless

5 June, 2023 Armored vehicles of Armenia and Russia during joint exercises. Photo from open sources Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, said that the Collective Security Treaty Organization membership created problems for the country.

Yerevan is also looking for an alternative to Russian weapons. Armen Grigoryan made the statement on the broadcast of Armenian public television on June 4. According to him, Armenia's membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) from at least 2020 brings nothing to the country and "creates certain problems".

In addition to Armenia, the CSTO includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Armen Grigoryan. Photo from open sources

"Armenia's membership in the CSTO, of course, creates certain problems, but it does not limit our cooperation with other countries. We are intensively working with our Western partners in the direction of strengthening our cooperation in the field of security and will continue this work," Grigoryan said.

The Secretary of the Security Council notes that "it is difficult to find an example of CSTO assistance to Armenia since 2020." "Since 2020, there have been three large-scale attacks on Armenia by Azerbaijan, in which the CSTO did not provide any assistance to Armenia," he said.

Armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan

He adds that because of this, Yerevan has to look for an alternative: "for example, a monitoring mission of the European Union". Armenia is also conducting intensive negotiations with many countries regarding the purchase of weapons as an alternative to Russian supplies.

Photo on the topic: the civilian mission of the European Union in Armenia

"We understand that we are seeing the reality that exists - this is the Russia-Ukraine war.

We take into account that Russia's capabilities for arms export are not so great. And we embarked on the path of finding other resources," Grigoryan explained. Subsequently, on June 5, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia stated that it was possible to conclude a peace agreement with Azerbaijan by the end of the year: "Negotiations are going very intensively and if we maintain this course, there is a possibility to conclude a peace agreement at the end of the year," Armen Grigoryan said, Radio Azatutyun reports.

"We are determined to find solutions and within the framework of these solutions to advance the peace agenda and conclude a peace agreement," the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia added.