Armenian PM critical of Moscow-dominated security pact

Armenia's prime minister on Tuesday accused a Moscow-dominated security alliance of leaving his country in the cold in the face of a threat of renewed hostilities with neighbouring Azerbaijan.

Armenia's prime minister on Tuesday accused a Moscow-dominated security alliance of leaving his country in the cold in the face of a threat of renewed hostilities with neighbouring Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been repeatedly critical of what he described as the failure of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO, to protect member Armenia amid a standoff with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Russia, which has sought to preserve strong ties with its ally Armenia while also maintaining friendly relations with energy-rich Azerbaijan, has engaged in a delicate diplomatic balancing act, avoiding any forceful action. The Kremlin's clout in the region has become more limited as Russia has focused its resources on the war in Ukraine.

Pashinyan said at a news conference that it wasn't Armenia that is pulling out of the CSTO, but, on the contrary, "the CSTO is pulling out of Armenia, whether it wishes so or not."

"We are concerned about that," Pashinyan said.

He emphasized that "the threat of escalation along Armenia's border and in Nagorno-Karabakh is very high now," noting "increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Azerbaijan."

Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan soared in December when Azerbaijani protesters claiming to be environmental activists blocked the so-called Lachin corridor, the main road between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, leaving its 120,000 residents short of food and other basic supplies. Last month, the United Nations' highest court ordered Azerbaijan to allow the resumption of free movement along the road, but the situation has remained tense.