Putin Says CSTO Should Not Have Gotten Involved in Karabakh Conflict

Photo: TASS

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should not have gotten involved in the Karabakh conflict because Armenia was not exposed to any external aggression during that crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists in Astana.

"The CSTO has nothing to do with it, because there was no external aggression against Armenia," he said. "The CSTO is designed to protect member countries from external aggression," The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

"The events in Karabakh have their own specifics: Armenia did not recognize Karabakh as an independent state and certainly did not include Karabakh in its borders. So, everything that happened in Karabakh has nothing to do with Armenia legally," the Russian leader added.

As for Armenia’s decision to withdraw from the CSTO, Putin stated that Armenia has not yet made any statements regarding its withdrawal, and Yerevan continues to support all the documents adopted at the organization's summit.

"Armenia has not announced its withdrawal, at least not yet. It said it was taking a pause, but it supports all the documents that are being adopted at our today's meeting," he said.

He also suggested that there is a possibility Armenia could return to full participation in the CSTO. "There is a probability that Armenia will return to full-scale work within this organization. We will see," Putin added