Commenting on the issue of rallies in Yerevan demanding Armenia's withdrawal from the organization, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that the criticism of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) voiced by individual politicians is not helpful and does not contribute to the search for mutually acceptable solutions. 

"It makes little sense. The meaning is elsewhere. In Yerevan, Stanislav Zas [CSTO Secretary General] will present to Nikol Pashinyan the results of monitoring the CSTO mission. Before that, the report was presented within the framework of the CSTO Permanent Council. The mission with experts got acquainted with the situation on the ground," Zakharova said. 

The Russian diplomat further suggested that by deciding not to send its contingent to the CSTO exercises in Kazakhstan, Armenia had proceeded from its current tasks. "This is the sovereign right of the republic," she added. 

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry drew attention to the fact that Moscow assesses cooperation with Yerevan within the framework of the CSTO as fruitful and effective and that the current chairmanship of Armenia in the organization coincided with a period of special threats. "The CSTO summit [in November of this year] will sum up the results of 20 years of activity and outline the prospects for further cooperation," Zakharova emphasized.

In May, Caucasus Watch reported that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chastised the CSTO and its member nations for failing to defend Armenia during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and Azerbaijan's following invasions in Syunik, as well as for supplying armaments to Azerbaijan. The Prime Minister made the remarks during a meeting with the leaders of member nations of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. "As you know, Azerbaijani forces invaded Armenian land a year ago," Pashinyan stated during the conference. "Armenia has asked the CSTO to activate its crisis management procedures. Unfortunately, we cannot state that the organization performed in the manner the Republic of Armenia would anticipate." Pashinyan also chastised member nations for supplying armaments to unfriendly states to Armenia, implying that several CSTO members, including Russia, are sending weaponry to Azerbaijan. "Those weapons were utilized against Armenia and the Armenian people," added Pashinyan. "To be honest, the behavior of the CSTO member states during and after the 44-day war in 2020 was not very positive for the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people."

After several days, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed, "U.S.-funded biological laboratories are located in Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asian countries." Lavrov said that Moscow is discussing the matter with its neighbors on a bilateral basis and within the CSTO.