Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova today said that Moscow expects Armenia to resume its full participation in the Russian-backed CSTO military alliance.

Yerevan and Moscow, over the past few months, have traded accusations as to whether the CSTO failed to fulfill its security obligations to Armenia in 2021-2022 when Azerbaijani forces crossed the border into Armenia and seized dozens of square kilometers of its sovereign territory.

In February of this year. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan announced his government had suspended its participation in the CSTO.

Moscow claims the Armenian government’s decision contradicts the interests of the Armenian people.

"We hope that for the benefit of the future security of Armenia and the entire region in general, our partnership with Armenia within the framework of the CSTO will be fully restored," Zakharova said according to TASS.

Armenia is not participating in the CSTO Interaction–2024 military exercises now underway in Kyrgyzstan.

Photo: @Russian Foreign Ministry