CSTO won’t collapse without Armenia, says Lukashenko

PanARMENIAN.Net - Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has said that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) won’t collapse if Armenia decides to withdraw from the organization.

His comments came after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia has frozen its participation in the Russian-led rganisation because the bloc had failed the country.

Lukashenko said Belarus has taken Armenia’s statements on CSTO membership in stride, after he cast his ballot in the parliamentary and local elections on February 25, BelTA reports.

“We are absolutely calm about it. We discussed this problem with the presidents in Kazan. We are absolutely unfazed by it. It did not send anyone over the edge. If Armenia needs to be part of the CSTO, let it be, we have always supported and will support it as our ally. If they don’t want to be in the CSTO, the organization won’t collapse, it won’t be gone,” he said.

According to Lukashenko, the matter has been discussed more than once. He said Azerbaijan is “not a stranger” to any of CSTO member states.

“There are many Muslim countries in the CSTO. You understand this too. This partly explains such a position. And, thirdly, did Armenia really want us to get involved in this war with Azerbaijan? In this case, this war would have been going on to this very day and thousands would have died,” he added.