The European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the arbitrary arrests and sentences handed down to Azerbaijani scholars Bahruz Samadov and Igbal Abilov. The resolution expresses concern over the growing number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, which, according to the European Parliament, has reached 400.
CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov emphasized the organization's interest in Armenia's return to full membership. According to Armenian media reports, Tasmagambetov stated that the CSTO continues to consider Armenia an ally and expects its active participation to resume in the foreseeable future.
This statement comes amid Armenia's suspension of participation in the CSTO, which, according to the official, is the country's sovereign decision. He cited the Armenian Foreign Ministry's statement on its absence of plans to withdraw from the organization, as well as a similar statement by the country's Deputy Foreign Minister.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the country's withdrawal from the pro-Russian Collective Security Treaty Organization was highly likely. He stated that this scenario is more likely than Yerevan's resumption of membership in the bloc. Last year, Pashinyan announced that Armenia had frozen its participation in the CSTO because The bloc creates threats to the country's security and its continued existence.