Armenia distances itself from CSTO, but remains in CIS

Armenia does not plan to reduce cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) or withdraw from it, CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev told Izvestia.

“No, it is not planned [to reduce Armenia’s cooperation with the CIS]. In many areas [Yerevan is interested in contacts with the CIS]: in the economic sphere, of course, in the political and humanitarian spheres. In the military-political sphere with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), they have some doubts and complications. As for the CIS, there are no issues,” he said.