Armenia urged to leave Russian-led organisations and join EU
NGOs and political forces in Armenia have called on the government to immediately withdraw the country from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as well as to terminate all military and economic agreements with Russia.
The call came at a forum for independence held in Yerevan on Saturday, where participants condemned "the threats from Russia and Azerbaijan to Armenia's independence and territorial integrity."
The declaration adopted at the forum, which was signed by representatives of 6 political parties, dozens of non-governmental organisations, diplomats, and public figures, states that Armenia should apply for full membership in the European Union and join strategic partnership agreements with the EU, the United States, Canada, and India.
The authors of the declaration said that threats and challenges to the country's integrity and independence come from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, and that it is necessary to revise the legal basis of the treaty with Russia and begin rapid integration with the West.
The signatories also said that the "forced displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh through starvation and military aggression" is similar to "Russian aggression and genocide against the Ukrainian people."
They also called for the withdrawal of "Russian occupation forces" from Nagorno-Karabakh and the deployment of an international peacekeeping mission.
On September 19, following an agreement with Russian peacekeeping forces, Azerbaijan launched a military operation in the separatist enclave on its territory - Karabakh, to take control of it. As a result, over 100,000 ethnic Armenians have fled to Armenia in recent weeks. They are fleeing Karabakh for fear of ethnic cleansing, despite assurances from Baku that their rights will be respected.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
