By the end of the year, Armenia may lose the security umbrella of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) may be suspended. This opinion was expressed by political scientist Benyamin Matevosyan in an interview with TASS.
“In November, Armenia may be deprived of its voting rights in the CSTO, which will strip it of security, and in December Armenia will cease to be a de facto member of the Eurasian Union if its membership is suspended. Moscow's position has not changed. Regardless of what Nikol Pashinyan has said, who even during the election campaign stated that he has friendly relations with Vladimir Putin and that after the elections he will look into the eyes of the leaders of the EAEU member states, the situation is such that Moscow's principled position has not changed regarding Armenia's official statement about its aspirations to join the EU, alongside the impossibility of receiving financial benefits from EAEU membership,” he said.
The political scientist emphasized that Russia is not ready to support Armenia's membership in a union that is preparing for military confrontation with it in many respects. According to the expert, the joint statement of the EAEU leaders shows that this position is shared not only by Moscow but also by other member countries.
“Despite active efforts to diversify exports, the current situation is such that there is no real alternative to the EAEU for Armenia. The actions of the Armenian authorities are mainly driven by political considerations rather than economic gain,” Matevosyan added.
