Samvel Karapetyan on CSTO withdrawal: First, we must look into the  reasons behind the actions of  CSTO and Russia

ArmInfo.If  the Strong Armenia party  comes to power, it's primary goal will be to understand the underlying reasons behind the behavior of the CSTO and Russia.  Samvel Karapetyan, the Strong Armenia party's prime  ministerial candidate, made this statements during a discussion with editors of several media outlets on May 22.

"If we see that this is a truly pointless organization, of course we  will leave," he stated. Karapetyan also noted that the authorities  have been "shouting" about this for four years, even though a single  signature is sufficient to leave the CSTO, yet for some reason they  haven't done so.

"This means there is a reason for it. Perhaps the issue is that they  are incapable of cooperating with the CSTO, or Aliyev and Erdogan are  preventing them from doing so. We need to understand the reasons.   What does 'freezing' membership actually mean? Either you leave, or  you don't," the party leader emphasized. According to Karapetyan, if  it turns out that the CSTO has truly been inactive, Armenia will very  quickly leave the organization.

He also questioned who could become an alternative security partner  for the country. Citing French President Emmanuel Macron's recent  visit to Armenia, he asked why an agreement on security guarantees  wasn't signed, or why one with the United States? "I'm not against  it; on the contrary, I would welcome it.  But we have to deal with   what we have. We have the CSTO and the agreements signed with  Russia," the politician noted. He expressed confidence that Russia  remains a very important partner for Armenia, while relations with  other countries, he said, require further analysis.

"We will not make emotional or fateful decisions for the country.  Every issue requires a serious and balanced approach," Karapetyan  concluded.