YEREVAN, September 5. /TASS/. Armenia’s participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) would be of great benefit to the republic itself as it would help maintain peace and stability in the South Caucasus, Russian Ambassador to Yerevan Sergey Kopyrkin said in an interview with the Soyuzniki. ODKB (Allies. CSTO - TASS) publication.
"Armenia remains a CSTO member as it serves as a party to numerous bilateral agreements in the military and defense spheres. We firmly believe that Armenia's full-fledged participation in the CSTO would benefit the Armenian people and serve the goal of maintaining peace and stability in the South Caucasus," the Russian diplomat said. There are no effective alternatives to the CSTO when it comes to ensuring Armenia’s security anyway, he insisted.
According to Kopyrkin, many of the risks currently facing Yerevan could have been mitigated had Armenia agreed to take a number of measures to stabilize the situation on the border with Azerbaijan proposed by the CSTO almost two years ago.
Early on September 13, 2022, Azerbaijani troops launched a large-scale offensive in Armenia, using large-caliber weapons, artillery, missile systems and drones.