Can Azerbaijan Become a Partner or Observer Country in the CSTO? Parliament Responds to Inquiry

All countries that do not have diplomatic relations with CSTO member states cannot obtain the status of either a partner in the CSTO or a partner in the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly. This is the response from the National Assembly of Armenia to Hetq's inquiry regarding the stance of the Armenian National Assembly on the statement made by Leonid Kalashnikov, Chairman of the State Duma’s Commission for CIS Affairs, suggesting that Azerbaijan and Pakistan could potentially join the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly's work.

On July 1, 2021, Vyacheslav Volodin, the President of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and Speaker of the State Duma of Russia, announced that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization plans to establish an institute of partner countries that will have advisory voting rights within the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly. “It is proposed to discuss the issue of creating a new partnership institution for the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly. They will receive the right to an advisory voice, prepare documents, and develop collective decisions,” Volodin stated, adding that several countries have shown interest in cooperation.

Earlier, Leonid Kalashnikov had mentioned that several countries are interested in this new format but only named two: Azerbaijan and Pakistan.