It was uncomfortable for Vladimir Putin (70) at a summit of the former Soviet republics. The CSTO Defense Alliance includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. His last allies are not particularly sympathetic to the Kremlin ruler.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (47) is said to have refused to sign the joint final statement at the end of the talks. Much to the surprise of the Russian president.
Lukashenko’s response
Videos on Twitter show how Putin and the Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko (68) look visibly irritated. Lukashenko gestures. But nothing is said about the failed conclusion.
Even with a joint photo, it seems that Pashinyan is clearly keeping his distance from Putin. Still, there was a diplomatic handshake between Putin and the Prime Minister of Armenia.
But today the Armenian head of government decided to express criticism in the presence of Vladimir Putin. He speaks of a failure of the common security alliance CSTO given the tensions with Azerbaijan. In September, about 200 people were killed in Azerbaijani attacks on the Republic of Armenia.
“It’s Depressing”
“It is depressing that Armenia’s membership in the CSTO has not deterred Azerbaijan from aggression,” says Pashinyan. “To date, we have failed to agree on a CSTO response to Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia,” he continued. (EU)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
