Armenia Freezes CSTO Membership, Signs Arms Contract With France

Armenia has halted its involvement in the Collective Security Treaty Organization. According to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the club of former Soviet states known as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) "hasn’t fulfilled its security obligations towards Armenia."

"This couldn’t have gone without consequences. And the consequence is that in practice we have basically frozen our participation in the CSTO." Pashinyan stated, criticizing Moscow for not stepping in to resolve a brewing dispute with the alliance's non-member Azerbaijan.

In his remarks, Pashinyan stated that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's remarks, which Armenia perceived as laying claim to substantial portions of Armenian land, harmed prospects for sealing a long-term peace pact.

As Yerevan looks to lessen its reliance on Moscow, France has committed to training Armenian military officers and selling precision firearms to the country, according to statements made on Friday by its defense ministers.

Armenia's defense minister, Suren Papikian, and his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, announced at a press conference in Yerevan that their country had inked a deal to purchase the weapons from French arms company PGM.

Since violence with neighboring Azerbaijan has escalated in recent years, Armenia has been striving to modernize its defenses.

Source: France24