Oppositionist: Armenian government has failed its program, including  through CSTO

ArmInfo.The Armenian government failed its own five-year program, which was approved by 

the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. MP from the Armenia opposition faction Armen Rustamyan stated  on March 15 during a hearing in the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relation, which discussed the implementation of the RA government program.

As an example, he cited the provisions of the Cabinet's program 

regarding relations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization 

(CSTO). The government document, Rustamyan continued, states that 

"the CSTO is an essential component of ensuring the security of 

Armenia, and the RA government will continue to work to actively 

engage in its work." Meanwhile, the MP continued, the report of the 

RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the implementation of the program 

notes that Yerevan has minimized relations with the CSTO, actually 

freezing its participation in its statutory bodies. "The question 

arises: has the government's program been fulfilled? What right do 

you have to do so if the document has a legal basis and is approved 

by the country's parliament," the oppositionist addressed the head of 

the RA Foreign Ministry Ararat Mirzoyan.

In response, the head of the republic's foreign policy department 

noted that today we are talking about the implementation of the 

government program for 2021-2026 in 2023. In 2021, the situation was 

somewhat different from what it was in 2023. Over the past period of 

time, there were developments that could not but influence the 

actions of officials. "There was an attack on the Republic of 

Armenia, the inviolability of the state's borders was violated, and 

the organization that is called upon to ensure the security of the 

state not only did not record this attack as a fact, but also did not 

take appropriate diplomatic, and even more so, military actions," in 

turn, asking Rustamyan which side he supports.

On this occasion, the MP stated that he was on the side of the 

National Assembly, which adopted the program, and which the 

government of the country is obliged to implement. "To change the 

program, the Cabinet of Ministers could present a new document that 

would meet the requirements of the time, especially since the 

government has a ruling majority in parliament. I am on the side of 

people with a state- centric thinking, and I object to the deliberate 

actions of the government that contradict the RA Constitution," said 

Rustamyan, demanding the resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers.

In response to this remark, the Foreign Minister noted that in 

relations with the CSTO, great efforts were made to ensure that the 

Organization came up with appropriate formulations regarding Armenia. 

"You are trying by all possible means to reduce the existing problems 

to the resignation of the government, but the only way to change 

power is parliamentary elections," Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized.

On March 12, at a press conference, RA Prime Minister Nikol 

Pashinyan, speaking about freezing relations with the CSTO, called 

not to confuse Yerevan's position towards the CSTO with legal 

processes. He did not rule out the possibility of the republic's 

complete withdrawal from the Organization. Currently, the head of the 

Armenian Cabinet continued, Yerevan does not take part in meetings of 

the CSTO and its statutory bodies. Pashinyan added that Armenia did 

not create problems for the CSTO on any issue. "If the borders of 

Armenia are a "red line" for the CSTO, let it demonstrate this, 

including on the issue of where the sovereign territory of Armenia 

is. But no answer to our questions was received," the RA Prime 

Minister noted.