The Ball is in Armenia's Court: Zakharova on Sending CSTO Mission to Armenia

The timeline for the potential deployment of CSTO peacekeepers in Armenia depends on the Armenian side. This was announced by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, during a briefing.

She recalled the statement made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about Russia's satisfaction with Armenia's ongoing interest in welcoming CSTO peacekeepers. Moscow is confident that this step will contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the region. Both Russia and other allies are ready for this.

“Such decisions are coordinated and adopted within the CSTO and confirmed at a high level. When our Armenian partners are ready, the parties will be able to return to the work on reinforcing specific types of the organization's observer missions,” she stated.

According to Zakharova, the ball is now in Yerevan's court.

On March 20, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated during a joint press conference in Moscow with his Russian counterpart that the draft decision to send a CSTO mission is on the table, and work on the draft is ongoing. At the same time, Yerevan expects a political assessment from its partners regarding Azerbaijan's aggression in September.

For his part, Sergey Lavrov announced that the option of sending a mission remains on the table, and the CSTO is absolutely ready.