Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated that the country’s traditional concept of external security has effectively “failed”. According to him, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), of which Armenia has been a member since its creation, failed three times to fulfill its allied obligations to the republic.

Pashinyan stressed that the crisis of trust in the CSTO has become systemic, and the very model of ensuring security through external allied structures can no longer be considered reliable.

“Armenia has found itself in a situation where its expectations from allied formats have not been met. This requires a revision of the entire architecture of national security”, – the prime minister noted.

The statement came against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations on normalizing relations with Azerbaijan and internal debates about reorienting foreign policy. The Armenian leadership increasingly speaks of the need to build a more independent defense system and seek new international partnerships.

Pashinyan’s words confirm Armenia’s growing distance from the CSTO and Russia, which has traditionally been considered the main guarantor of the republic’s security. For Moscow, this is a blow to its image: an ally in the South Caucasus openly declares the failure of a system created under its leadership.

In recent years, Yerevan has been developing ties with the EU, the US, France, and Iran, seeking to establish alternative mechanisms of protection. Domestically, this is a step toward forming a “multi-vector” strategy in which Russia ceases to be an unconditional partner.

However, a sharp departure from the CSTO may lead to increased pressure from Moscow, including economic and energy-related measures. At the same time, building up Armenia’s independent military potential and searching for new allies will require significant financial resources.

Pashinyan’s statement could also accelerate peace talks with Azerbaijan: in the context of the “failure of the old system”, Armenia is interested in reducing the risks of conflict. Turkey and Azerbaijan, on the other hand, are likely to use Yerevan’s weakened ties with Moscow as an opportunity to strengthen their influence.

Thus, Pashinyan’s statement is not just criticism of the CSTO, but a signal of a paradigm shift in Armenian security. Armenia effectively acknowledges that the previous model of “relying on allies” has not worked and is ready to look for new formats, even at the cost of escalating tensions with Moscow.

#ARMENIA

15.09.2025 08:10