Armenia's Participation in CSTO Exercises Clarified by Ministry of Defense

The Ministry of Defense of Armenia has responded to inquiries from Sputnik Armenia regarding the country's participation in the CSTO exercises scheduled for 2024.

According to their statement, "The question of participation in CSTO exercises is decided directly by each member state of the CSTO at the stage of announcing the exercise." In November 2023, the then-head of the CSTO Joint Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, announced that CSTO exercises in 2024 would take place in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Specifically, exercises involving collective rapid response forces are planned in Kyrgyzstan, while peacekeeping forces will be exercised in Kazakhstan.

It is noteworthy that Armenia declined to participate in the CSTO 'Indestructible Brotherhood' exercises scheduled to take place in Kyrgyzstan from October 9-13, 2023. Additionally, the Armenian leadership is not participating in the organization's meetings.