Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Secretary General Sergei Lebedev stated there are no indications Armenia intends to withdraw from the organization. He dismissed the possibility entirely during the 106th meeting of the CIS Economic Council.
“I completely rule out that option—there is not even a hint that Armenia is preparing to leave the CIS. The same applies to Azerbaijan; there’s nothing of the sort,” Lebedev said in response to a question about Armenia potentially leaving the CIS, especially following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent remarks about exiting the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and possibly aligning with the European Union, according to TASS.
Lebedev also emphasized that Armenia continues to participate in CIS meetings.
“Today, Armenia’s authorized representative was present at the CIS Economic Council meeting, actively engaging in discussions and authorized to sign several documents,” he added.
Previously, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated that exiting the CSTO seemed more likely than restoring full membership. In December, he remarked that Armenia-CSTO relations had reached a point of irreversibility, attributing the freeze to perceived threats against Armenia’s sovereignty.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova responded by saying such a move would not enhance Armenia’s security and that returning to full CSTO participation would take time.
