On April 20, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signaled his government’s readiness to deploy a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) mission along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

“Not only Russia but also Armenia is ready for the deployment. But we outlined the scope of our concerns, and our goal is that a possible CSTO mission be effective. It is important for Armenia, the CSTO, and the whole region. We will continue working in that direction,” Pashinyan said during a briefing with journalists in the National Assembly. 

Pashinyan noted that the EU civilian mission must be put on a different level than the CSTO.

“Let’s distinguish between the CSTO and the European Union. The CSTO has security obligations towards Armenia, and Armenia also has obligations, which it fulfilled during the events in Kazakhstan in 2022. Therefore, Armenia’s expectations from the CSTO should be much higher than from the EU,” he added. 

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the timing of the possible deployment of the CSTO mission in Armenia depends on the Armenian side. 

Referring to the possibility of signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, the Armenian PM stressed: “First, it is not yet a fact that we will sign it. I am ready to sign it within the framework of addressing the problems mentioned in my speech yesterday; without signing it, everything will not be as we want,” he said, adding: “It is important for us that the negotiations also include guarantees. And the lack of guarantee is the most crucial aspect of our situation.”

Pashinyan also talked about 1.4 km of the border in a “problematic” section in Armenia’s village of Tegh. “We have 11 km in the village of Tegh, 5 km of which we considered problematic. As of today, I can say that this problematic segment has been reduced by another 1.4 km. This means that the border has been clarified, and the Azerbaijanis and we have a common position on that point,” he said.