No security alternatives for Armenia except for CSTO and Russia - Mikael Aghasandyan

ArmInfo. There are no  alternatives to the CSTO and Russia as guarantors of Armenia's  stability, says Director of the First Department of the CIS Countries  of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikael Aghasandyan.

Speaking about Armenia's participation in the general work of the  CSTO, the diplomat stated that the line of moving away from such  interaction has now prevailed in Yerevan.

"This position, as we see it, contradicts the interests of the people  of Armenia and significantly weakens national security. Ultimately,  there are no alternatives to the CSTO and Russia as guarantors of the  republic's stability. At this stage, the doors are open for Armenia  to return to full cooperation in the CSTO, and mutual obligations  within the organization remain unchanged. We hope that our Armenian  partners, having overcome their doubts, will once again demonstrate  their commitment to interested joint work - in the strategic  interests of the friendly Armenian people," Aghasandyan said in an  interview with RIA Novosti.

At the same time, when asked how the current Armenian authorities'  desire for closer cooperation with the European Union and NATO could  affect Yerevan's relations with the EAEU, the diplomat expressed his  conviction that relations between Moscow and Yerevan within the  framework of the Eurasian Economic Union are based on mutually  beneficial cooperation. 

"You don't need to be an expert in economics or politics to see the  obvious: the union is beneficial to Yerevan, and it is largely thanks  to it that the pace of economic growth in Armenia demonstrates  impressive positive dynamics, which few can boast of. Thus, in the  first three months of 2024, the country's GDP grew by more than 9%,  which is the highest figure among the EAEU member states. From 2015  to 2023, Armenia increased its exports to the Union market by 14  times - from 0.25 to 3.6 billion US dollars. 

The volume of cross-border money transfers to Armenia from other EAEU  member states increased by 3.8 times in 2015-2023 (from 1.05 to 4.0  billion US dollars). Naturally, all this allows us to collect more  taxes, create jobs, and improve the quality of life of the  population. All conditions for labor activity have been created  within the framework of the union," he added.

"As for the course taken by Yerevan towards closer cooperation with  the European Union and NATO, here our partners have obviously fallen  for the Westerners' hook, promising them investments, technologies  and a bright future. They have repeatedly used this approach in the  post-Soviet space. And what came of it, we all know and see very  well," the diplomat continued. Aghasandyan expressed confidence that  extra-regional forces are not able to objectively resolve issues of  regions within whose borders they do not directly exist, and their  main goal is to drive a wedge into cooperation with Russia. "The  Eurasian Economic Union is facts, reality, current advantages and  achievements. We hope that pragmatism and common sense will not allow  us to abandon this for the sake of uncertainty in the long term. In  the end, compare the objective indicators of Armenia's trade turnover  with the EAEU countries and with extra-regional players, and, like  any unbiased observer, everything should become clear to you," the  Russian official concluded.