Public Reactions to Pashinyan's Decision on Kazakhstan

In light of the ongoing events in Kazakhstan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on his Facebook page yesterday that he had a phone conversation with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He stated: "Considering the request from the President of Kazakhstan, who expects CSTO assistance in overcoming the established situation in Kazakhstan, as the President of the CSTO Collective Security Council, I am starting immediate consultations with the leaders of CSTO member states." Two hours after this publication, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made another important announcement. He said: "Based on the appeal of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the threats to the national security and sovereignty of Kazakhstan arising from external interference, the CSTO Collective Security Council has decided to send CSTO collective peacekeeping forces to the Republic of Kazakhstan for a limited period of time to stabilize and resolve the situation in that country."

Both of these announcements sparked intense reactions among a wide range of the public. Under the Prime Minister's Facebook post, both public and political figures, as well as citizens, expressed their comments and attitudes. It is worth noting that foreign users also participated in the discussion.

For instance, Edmon Marukyan, the leader of the “Bright Armenia” faction, wrote: "40 to 45 square kilometers of sovereign Armenian territory have been under Azerbaijani control for months. No rapid or slow response force came to assist, despite our numerous requests." Another user commented: "Such a step contradicts the principles of our country's democracy. Armenia has no right to interfere in the people's just uprising. This is a setback for democracy."

Another comment read: "This is already too much. Our enemies used every kind of weapon against us, employing terrorists, which by the way were documented by the same CSTO member states, but we all remember the response. Now what does it mean, should peacekeeping forces from Armenia go? This is already absurd." Another user noted: "Well, how come the Kazakhs are filling out the CSTO request form correctly from the very first time, while our Ministry of Foreign Affairs still doesn’t know the forms? Maybe they should be sent to learn from the Kazakhs?"