Armenia was a founding member of the CSTO military alliance, which was established in 1994. The Permanent Mission of Armenia to the CSTO was founded on 16 January 2012 by Presidential decree. The primary goals of the mission is to further facilitate the development of relations and cooperation between Armenia, the CSTO, and its members.[4] Other objectives include, fostering military-technical and military-economic cooperation between CSTO member states, planning joint activities and events, and deepening multilateral ties.[4][5][6]
On 23 February 2024, Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, confirmed that Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO. Pashinyan stated, "We have now in practical terms frozen our participation in this treaty" and "membership of the CSTO was under review" during a live broadcast interview.[7] On 28 February 2024, during a speech made in the National Assembly, Pashinyan further stated that the CSTO is "a threat to the national security of Armenia".[8]
Permanent Representative
As of November 2018, Ambassador Viktor Biyagov is the current Head of the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the CSTO.[9][10] Meanwhile, Mher Shirinyan has been appointed Representative of the Armed Forces of Armenia at the Mission of Armenia to the CSTO.[11][12]
