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Why Armenia postponed joint drills with Russia
Summary
A look back at the 10 January 2023 announcement by Armenia's prime minister on postponing military exercises under the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
What did it mean when Armenia put off joint military exercises with Russia? On 10 January 2023, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the exercises with the Russian Armed Forces, planned under the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for that year, would be postponed.
The stated reason was the CSTO's refusal to condemn Azerbaijan over the disputes between the two countries. The announcement was placed within the wider Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and it concerned relations between Yerevan and Moscow.
Other news from the region
A few days earlier, on 5 January 2023, Russian president Vladimir Putin had announced a unilateral ceasefire for 6–7 January, linked to Christmas under the Julian calendar. According to the report, he acted on a proposal from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.
The two items were separate. The Armenian announcement concerned the CSTO and the dispute with Azerbaijan, while the ceasefire declaration concerned the Christmas period.
