Putin, Armenian PM discuss prospects of further interaction within CSTO, Kremlin says

TASS, Russia
Jan 22 2022
Russian President also tells Armenian PM about talks on security guarantees

MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the prospects of further interaction within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in a phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Kremlin press service reported on Saturday. The conversation was held at the initiative of the Armenian side.

"Considering Armenia’s current chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the prospects of further interaction within the framework of the CSTO were discussed," the statement said.

Putin briefly informed him on talks on security guarantees. "Per Nikol Pashinyan’s request, the Russian President briefly informed [him] on the negotiation process with the US and its allies on the security guarantees of the Russian Federation," the statement said.

Putin and Pashinyan discussed trilateral agreements between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in a phone conversation. The conversation was held at the initiative of the Armenian side.

"The practical aspects of the implementation of the agreements recorded in trilateral statements by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia from November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021, were discussed, including the issues related to the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border," the statement said. The viability of continued work along the lines of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, the US, France) was noted, the Kremlin added.

On December 17, 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry published the draft agreements between Moscow and Washington on security guarantees and the measures of ensuring the security of Russia and NATO member states. The first round of talks held on January 10-13, 2022, did not bring immediate results, currently Moscow is expecting Washington’s written response to its proposals.