01:25Armenia: Yerevan residents rally for and against relations with Russia amid CSTO summit
Residents of Yerevan were seen at rallies both for and against relations with Russia on Wednesday, while the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit was held in the Armenian capital.
The pro-Russian rally was held with the support of the Armenian public movement ;Together’. Activists greeted the motorcade of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Victory Bridge with placards saying 'Welcome to Armenia'.
The demonstration opposing Russian-Armenian relations was organised by the National Democratic Pole Party at the monument of politician Garegin Nzhdeh. The participants held flags of Armenia, Ukraine, USA and EU, and shouted slogans.
No official information concerning arrests was released by the authorities on the day of the protest.
The CSTO summit on Wednesday was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov and Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon.
Politicians were expected to discuss current issues of international and regional security, as well as the main results of the organisation's activities since previous talks.
In September, Pashinyan responded to what he called the 'rapid development of some public opinions' in his country.
"There are fears [in CSTO] that Armenia will leave the CSTO, and my answer was that there are fears that the CSTO will abandon Armenia," the Prime Minister noted.
He also called for backing from the group in response to the recent escalation of conflict with Azerbaijan.
"When the events in Sotq and Khoznavar (in Nagorno-Karabakh) occurred last year, we naturally turned to the CSTO, only to be told that the line is not marked or delimited. As a result, the question of where the red line is in this case arose," he stated.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared up again on the border in September, with both sides accusing each other of shelling their positions.
01:25Residents of Yerevan were seen at rallies both for and against relations with Russia on Wednesday, while the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit was held in the Armenian capital.
The pro-Russian rally was held with the support of the Armenian public movement ;Together’. Activists greeted the motorcade of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Victory Bridge with placards saying 'Welcome to Armenia'.
The demonstration opposing Russian-Armenian relations was organised by the National Democratic Pole Party at the monument of politician Garegin Nzhdeh. The participants held flags of Armenia, Ukraine, USA and EU, and shouted slogans.
No official information concerning arrests was released by the authorities on the day of the protest.
The CSTO summit on Wednesday was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov and Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon.
Politicians were expected to discuss current issues of international and regional security, as well as the main results of the organisation's activities since previous talks.
In September, Pashinyan responded to what he called the 'rapid development of some public opinions' in his country.
"There are fears [in CSTO] that Armenia will leave the CSTO, and my answer was that there are fears that the CSTO will abandon Armenia," the Prime Minister noted.
He also called for backing from the group in response to the recent escalation of conflict with Azerbaijan.
"When the events in Sotq and Khoznavar (in Nagorno-Karabakh) occurred last year, we naturally turned to the CSTO, only to be told that the line is not marked or delimited. As a result, the question of where the red line is in this case arose," he stated.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared up again on the border in September, with both sides accusing each other of shelling their positions.