YEREVAN, February 3. /TASS/. Armenia’s membership in the CSTO has never hindered its ability to purchase weapons from other countries, former President Serzh Sargsyan (2008-2018) has told the media.
"We purchased and received weapons from CSTO members, from Western countries, China, and other states. There were no obstacles," he stated, responding to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent assertion that CSTO affiliation posed a barrier.
Addressing concerns about the alleged transfer of classified weapons information to CSTO countries, Sargsyan dismissed such claims as stemming from Pashinyan’s lack of understanding of procurement procedures. "Any country from which we buy weapons is provided with written guarantees. Did we not use these weapons for self-defense before 2018? Did we not send them to Artsakh (the former unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic)? What Pashinyan is saying is simply ignorance. He’s attempting to justify himself, but it doesn’t hold," Sargsyan remarked.
On January 28, Pashinyan claimed that Armenia’s CSTO membership had created obstacles to acquiring weapons elsewhere, citing fears among partners that secret parameters might be shared within the organization.
Previously, Armenia froze its participation in the CSTO. During a press conference on July 16, 2025, Pashinyan indicated that he considered the country's withdrawal more probable than rejoining the alliance. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin suggested that Western efforts were encouraging Armenia to suspend its CSTO involvement. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Pashinyan’s claims that the CSTO "abandoned Armenia in the lurch" are unfounded.