We Expected to Receive Weapons from Russia That Did Not Arrive. There Are Alternative Solutions. Armen Grigoryan

Currently, our presence in the CSTO certainly creates certain problems, but it does not limit our cooperation with different countries. We are intensively working with our Western partners to strengthen our cooperation in the field of security, and we will continue this work.

This was stated by the Secretary of the Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, in an interview at the ‘News’ studio.

Regarding the question of what benefits the CSTO brings to Armenia, Grigoryan replied, “It will be difficult to find any example of assistance since 2020. The CSTO did not provide any support to Armenia during Azerbaijan's three large-scale attacks, and when Armenia eventually sought and found alternatives, such as the deployment of the EU civilian monitoring mission in Armenia, then the CSTO began to offer its assistance. Armenia has been attacked three times, and in the end, this so-called military alliance offers a fact-finding mission in Armenia. This is at least not serious,” noted Grigoryan.

He also addressed the issue of payment for purchasing weapons from Russia and the lack of delivery.

“We expected to receive weapons from Russia that did not arrive. Next week, I will be going to Minsk to participate in the meeting of the CSTO secretaries. If a bilateral meeting takes place, we will discuss issues related to bilateral relations. But considering the reality that exists—the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia's capacity to support its war, and the fact that the capacity is not so great that it can export—we have also pursued other avenues in search of resources. There are numerous countries with which we are having intensive discussions regarding the purchase of weapons. We have achieved results in some cases, while negotiations are ongoing in others. If Armenia faces problems, it finds alternative solutions until the existing issue is resolved,” said Armen Grigoryan.

He emphasized that security is multilayered, and for states to ensure their security, they need not only to be part of military alliances but also to have their own capabilities.

“In this context, the peace agenda that Armenia is pursuing is very important. Criticism may arise that Armenia is promoting a peace agenda while Azerbaijan challenges it, but our peace agenda also establishes certain stabilizations. At this moment, Armenia is primarily focused on increasing its capabilities and is not seeking alternatives concerning international security organizations. We also see bilateral cooperation as additional guarantees. The relations between Armenia and the USA are intensively developing, the relations between Armenia and several EU countries are intensively developing, and we have very layered cooperation with India. We are trying to regulate relations with neighboring countries and have intensive cooperation. I cannot say that all our security demand issues are being resolved, but these are directions in which we are trying to cover a large volume of needs,” emphasized Armen Grigoryan.