Armenian Opposition Wants “Peacekeeping” Troops Deployed to Country

Armenia’s pro-Russian opposition is seeking the deployment of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) “peacekeeping” troops to the country.

This is reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan believes that the republic’s opposition, represented by former President Robert Kocharyan and Samvel Karapetyan, chairman of the Tashir Group, is seeking to bring CSTO peacekeepers into the country.

“Your goal is to have CSTO peacekeepers enter Armenia. There will be no CSTO peacekeepers, and there will be no foreign peacekeepers at all,” Pashinyan said in parliament.

He added that “peacekeepers” are unnecessary, since peace has already been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the peoples of these countries are the best peacekeepers.

Pashinyan recently stated that he would be pleased if the CSTO decided to expel Armenia from its membership.

The prime minister added that Yerevan had raised specific questions with the organization but had not received any answers. Therefore, he said, Armenia’s interest in the CSTO has completely run its course.

Back in May, it was reported that the Russian 102nd Military Base in Gyumri, Armenia, exerts social, spiritual, and political influence on Armenia, undermining its sovereignty.

Armenian citizens working at the base are being pressured. People who contacted the authors of the investigation and wished to remain anonymous for fear of persecution by the command report that they are being forced to vote for a specific political party under threat of dismissal.

Moreover, according to them, the Russian command is demanding that this pressure be extended to family members, relatives, and friends, thereby increasing the number of controlled votes.

Thus, the military base command is likely violating paragraph 6 of part 1 of Article 23 of the Electoral Code of Armenia, as well as committing acts covered by part 1 of Article 40.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses and part 3 of Article 210 and part 2 of Article 211 of the Criminal Code of Armenia.