Armenia absent from working lunch of CSTO representatives

ArmInfo. A working lunch was held at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Mansion to mark the beginning of Russia's chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Judging by a photo from the meeting published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Armenian side did not participate.

The meeting discussed the work and schedules of upcoming meetings of  the statutory bodies. The event was attended by permanent and  plenipotentiary representatives of the CSTO member states, Secretary  General Taalatbek Masadykov, and his deputies. Deputy Minister of  Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Pankin also  welcomed the guests.

As a reminder, Armenia has been boycotting CSTO events since the end  of 2022. In February 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  declared that Armenia had effectively frozen its participation in the  CSTO, as the organization had failed to fulfill its obligations to  Armenia, which would inevitably have consequences. And on September  18, 2024, at the Second World Armenian Summit, Pashinyan declared  that the CSTO posed threats to Armenia's security, its continued  existence, sovereignty, and statehood.