Today, Karachay-Cherkessia commemorates the 69th anniversary of the return of the Karachay people, deported by Joseph Stalin during the Soviet era. This momentous event occurred on May 3, 1957, when the first train carrying Karachays returning to their historical homeland arrived at the autonomous republic's railway station.
Moscow respects the sovereign right of Armenia to withdraw from the CSTO. This is how the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov commented on the words of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the possible termination of Yerevan's membership in the organization.
In an interview with the Mayak radio station, Peskov also drew attention to Armenia's desire to join the SCO, noting its multi-vector approach to foreign policy. The Kremlin representative expressed interest in continuing cooperation with Yerevan, emphasizing that the future will show what its rapprochement with the EU will lead to.
The day before, Nikol Pashinyan announced a high probability of the country's withdrawal from the pro-Russian Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). According to him, this scenario is more likely than the resumption of Yerevan's participation in the bloc.