Belarus urges ‘careful and accurate’ CSTO approach toward Armenia amid frozen membership

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has called for a “careful and accurate” approach by the CSTO toward its treaty ally Armenia, which has effectively frozen its participation in the bloc for over two years.

Lukashenko made the comments during a meeting with Taalatbek Masadykov, the new Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), BelTA reports.

He noted that the organization has both achievements and challenges, which he has repeatedly discussed on international platforms. According to Lukashenko, one of the issues requiring special attention is the relationship with Armenia.

“We need to be more correct and precise in our work with Armenia. You know that Armenia seems not to support work within the CSTO, yet at the same time remains in the organization,” BelTA news agency quoted the Belarusian president as saying. 

He added that the situation in Armenia is complex, especially in the context of electoral processes.

“We must be very careful. The situation in Armenia is difficult in this regard, particularly during the election period. It is a very complicated situation. Therefore, we need to be extremely cautious in our relations with Armenia,” Lukashenko stated.

Back in February 2024, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia had frozen its participation in the CSTO, citing the organization’s failure to fulfill its obligations to Armenia.