YEREVAN. – Armenia’s recently sending a humanitarian contingent to Syria has caused quite a stir in the press and social media, according to Past (Fact) newspaper.

“A question rises among the public as to why all of a sudden the Armenian side entered into that ‘topic.’ According to the information to Past daily, this way, Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan is trying to gain Russia’s favor and prevent Azerbaijan’s entry into CSTO.

“According to our source, after Pashinyan’s election as Prime Minister, RF [Russian Federation] President Vladimir Putin ‘put’ this matter ‘before’ him [Pashinyan] in Moscow, hinting that he [Putin] is not against seeing Azerbaijan in CSTO, but as an alternative option, proposing [Pashinyan] to show some activeness in Syria,” Past wrote.