The Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan did not attend the meeting of the regional format of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) meeting on Friday in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The gesture signals that his country’s shift from regional alliances to co-operation with the West is actively growing.
Earlier, PM accused two CSTO member states of directly aiding Azerbaijan, though he did not name them. Since its defeat in the Karabakh war in 2020, Armenia has increasingly turned to the West for military assistance, distancing itself from regional structures. But Armenia continues to participate in post-Soviet economic formats with less involvement.
On Friday, Russia recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations after months of public disputes and harsh anti-Russian statements by Armenian top officials.
Participants in the CIS heads of government meeting focused on prospects for economic co-operation with Russia to create an independent payment system to support growing trade needs. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said:
The trade turnover within the CIS has increased by more than two-thirds over the past four years, with 6 per cent of this growth attributed to the implementation of action plan decisions. This contributed an additional 7% to the growth of mutual trade in services.
He stressed that the implementation of free trade in services and investment agreements within the CIS will give a significant boost to the association’s co-operation.
The Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional organisation formed when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, consists of 11 countries. The CIS was established to promote co-operation in political, economic and security matters with the aim of fostering peaceful relations and mutual support among member states.
