Armenia still considered full CSTO member, chief says

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) continues to regard Armenia as a full member despite recent political rhetoric suggesting otherwise, the bloc’s secretary general said on Wednesday.

Following a meeting of defense ministers from CSTO member states, Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov told reporters that Armenia’s membership status was not on the agenda. “I think this question is political, and at the moment the CSTO considers Armenia a full member,” Masadykov said. “No official decisions or notifications have come from the Republic of Armenia. The rhetoric we hear from political figures in Armenia or other states is varied — sometimes pre-election, sometimes post-election.”