Armenia's suspension of CSTO membership is a big mistake.TASS-Nikolay Bordyuzha, who held the position of CSTO General Secretary in 2003-2016, said in an interview.
"I believe that it is the sovereign right of Armenia to participate in the Collective Security Treaty Organization or to withdraw from it.
They decide what kind of security system will be in Armenia, it is the top political leadership that decides. If they think that it will be more convenient to conduct their own security policy, then that is their right.
I think that this is a big mistake, based primarily on completely unreliable data," Bordyuzha believes.
"And when [Armenia's] top political leadership says that they did not receive any help from Russia, that it was Russia that prepared all those coups, that there was no help from the CSTO, that is absolutely not true," he added.
The former general secretary noted that in his opinion, it was the complete opposite.
"If you count how much Russia has invested in the armed forces of Armenia and in Armenia in general, I think it will be a very, very serious amount," said Bordyuzha.
"And when [Armenia's] top leaders say that there was nothing but harm from Russia and the CSTO countries, it is absolutely wrong. I think that these are either deliberately biased assessments or assessments based on ignorance of the real situation," the interlocutor of the agency emphasized.
Bordyuzha also noted that since 1991, Ukraine has never been invited to join the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Kiev has been focused on the West and looting the country's wealth.
"Ukraine was not invited to the CSTO, because even in the CIS, Ukraine was in a semi-legal state, they did not ratify all CIS treaties, CIS fundamental acts.
Therefore, Ukraine and the leadership of Ukraine, whatever they say, since 1991 have been conducting a completely isolated policy. they did not enter into any contact, they did not want any agreement and they never expressed a desire to cooperate with other CIS member countries," said Bordyuzha.
