Dmitri Chirciu
24 November 2022•Update: 24 November 2022
YEREVAN, Armenia
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Wednesday with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Yerevan.
The meeting between the two leaders came after Pashinyan refused to sign a draft declaration of the CSTO summit.
During his meeting with Putin, Pashinyan said that many decisions were made at a session of the CSTO Collective Security Council but they could not agree on some issues.
Earlier in the day, Pashinyan told the leaders of the CSTO member states that he would not sign a draft declaration by the group.
He said that this was due to the absence in the declaration of a political assessment of Azerbaijan's "aggression" against the territorial integrity of Armenia.
He further said that he touched on issues related to the implementation of the tripartite agreement that was signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan under Russian patronage during the session of the CSTO council.
"These are very important issues. We should consult on issues that will ensure long-term peace in the region," he added.
Russia-Armenia ties
Speaking on Russia-Armenia ties, Pashinyan said that relations between the two countries have been developing rapidly.
Armenia's exports to Russia rose by 80% this year, he said, adding the increase resulted from changes in logistics.
He said it creates new opportunities for economic cooperation in general.
Referring to the summit, Putin said “it is rarely possible to reach an agreement on all issues, but overall, the work was very intensive and useful.”
He said that while the bilateral trade volume between Russia and Armenia increased by 12% last year, the figure has risen by 67% so far this year, stressing that relations between the two countries are at the level of an alliance.
