Newspaper: Armenia to leave CSTO on Putin's reelection day?

Past daily of Armenia writes as follows: One of the most discussed topics in recent days is the possibility of Armenia's geopolitical turn, the first "flower" of which was the official letter from Yerevan to Moscow regarding the removal of Russian border guards from [Yerevan’s] Zvartnots [International] Airport on September 1.

The second one, which [Armenian PM] Nikol Pashinyan also talked about during his last press conference, was about the conditions for [Armenia] leaving or staying in the CSTO. In fact, according to our information, since the middle of last year, quite intense discussions have been taking place within the [Armenian] authorities, both regarding the exit or not, regarding the "occasion" of the exit, which the public perceives as appropriate.

According to the sources of Past newspaper, there is quite a lot of alarm and concern in narrow authorities’ circles on this topic. Many [people] consider the consequences of such a decision to be unpredictable and, being participants in those discussions, initially presented their position more actively, but in the last period they do not express themselves—although they are firmly against that decision, considering it to be another miscalculation. Our interlocutor, who was well aware of these discussions, said that the option [of] making the announcement of the withdrawal [of Armenia] from the CSTO on the day of the RF [(Russian Federation)] presidential elections was discussed quite seriously.

Accordingly, the "occasion" may be the "unexpectedly" initiated exacerbation at the border, amid which Pashinyan will announce his withdrawal from the CSTO on live broadcast. According to our information, this option has been discussed quite seriously, especially the western wing of the [Armenian] authorities is excited, considering that it will be a good "gift" in connection with the [re]election of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, with corresponding informational support from the western mass media.

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