Armenian Prime Minister Says Break with Russia Has Passed ‘Point of No Return’

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told his parliament on Wednesday that relations with Russia have deteriorated past the “point of no return.”

Pashinian was specifically referring to Armenia’s exit from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Russian-led regional security alliance. Armenia suspended activities with CSTO in June after Russian “peacekeepers” stood idly by and watched Azerbaijan invade the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, known as the Republic of Artsakh to its Armenian Christian residents.

Armenians reside there no longer, having been ethnically cleansed by the Azeri Muslim conquerors. Russian President Vladimir Putin did nothing when Azerbaijan began advancing into Nagorno-Karabakh and then blockading the region in 2022, arguing that since the disputed region was not technically “Armenian territory,” CTSO’s defense provisions would not be triggered.

Pashinian rejected that reasoning on Wednesday, saying that with “all due respect to the Russian president,” Putin’s inaction “highlights the fundamental issues within the CSTO.”

“When the aggression occurred, we said that the red line had been crossed. They responded by saying, ‘Well, the border isn’t officially delimited,’” Pashinian said.

CSTO’s Secretary-General, Imanglhali Tasmanghambetov of Kazakhstan, said on Tuesday that Armenia is still considered a “formal ally” of CSTO because it has not formally withdrawn from the collective despite missing several meetings and joint military exercises. Tasmanghambetov said Armenia is free to resume full participation at any time.

Pashinian has been saying since June that Armenia has no intention of resuming CSTO activities and plans to formally withdraw at a time of its choosing. On Wednesday, he said Armenian participation in CSTO is becoming “increasingly difficult, if not impossible.”

Also on Wednesday, Pashinian confirmed he was refusing to host December’s summit meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a trade bloc of five former Soviet states whose rotating presidency is currently held by Armenia.

EEU officials tried to minimize the snub by saying the group had mutually agreed to hold its summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, this year for no particular reason, but Pashinian said he flatly refused to let certain members of the organization visit his capital city of Yerevan.

“I personally found it inexpedient to hold the event in Armenia because unfortunately, due to circumstances known to you, not all members of the EEU Supreme Economic Council are desirable for Armenia,” he told members of his parliament.

Pashinian’s veiled snub was almost certainly directed at Vladimir Putin and possibly his vassal Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus. Lukashenko angered the Armenians in May by meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Alivey in the conquered Nagorno-Karabakh region. 

Pashinian has been coy about if Armenia would arrest Putin during a hypothetical visit, as directed by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which charged Putin with war crimes in Ukraine in 2023. Armenia joined the ICC treaty in November 2023, to Moscow’s great displeasure.

Armenia has been expressing more interest in cooperating with the West as it grows more distant from Russia. On Friday, Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikian met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss what Austin called “our growing strategic partnership through training and exercises, military education, and capacity-building.”

Papikian said the meeting “highlighted the priority areas” of improving Armenian-U.S. military cooperation, including better training for Armenian forces and increasing “interoperability” with the U.S. military. United States and Armenian troops have held two joint training exercises over the past year. This annoyed Russia, which warned Armenia that partnership with the United States cannot replace Russia’s role in fulfilling Armenia’s security needs.