Armenia did not send a government representative to the meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Heads of Government Council held in Ashgabat. Musavat.com reports, citing the official CIS website, that the meeting, chaired by Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister Khojamyrat Geldimyradov, was attended by Azerbaijan's Prime Minister Ali Asadov, Belarus's Prime Minister Alexander Turcin, as well as the prime ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
However, Armenia did not send anyone from its government to the meeting. Instead, the country was represented by its permanent authorized representative to the CIS, Belarusian Ambassador Razmik Khumaryan.
In a narrow format, the heads of government exchanged views on current issues of economic cooperation within the Commonwealth of Independent States and discussed a report on the implementation of the interstate cooperation program up to 2026.
It is known that Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during his election campaign a few days ago when meeting with residents of the village of Shnog in the Lori region, stated that no sharp steps would be taken in relations with Russia. This statement fundamentally contradicts the official documents under which the ruling party is going to the elections. In the meeting with voters, the prime minister claimed that his team has never acted contrary to Russia's interests and will not do so.
Meanwhile, the "news.am" website writes that the election platform of the Civil Contract Party, led by Nikol Pashinyan, will continue to maintain distance from deep strategic commitments in relations with Russia and military-political alliances and will continue to reformat these relations. In other words, in the 2026 election program, Pashinyan's government is determined to remove all military-political relations with Russia from the agenda. This means a fundamental rejection of the multilateral security system that has formed the basis of the country's foreign policy for decades.
It is noted that this is not only about Armenia's position regarding the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). It is known that Armenia's membership in the CSTO is reported to be frozen, and the government has announced that no steps will be taken to return to active participation in this structure. Relations with Russia are currently characterized as being in a "constructive transformation phase." It is also pointed out that the next step is inevitably directed towards Armenia's exit from the CIS. Interestingly, not only Pashinyan's government but also some supporters from the Republican Party take a very tough stance on relations with Russia.
In its election program, the Republican Party insists on withdrawing from the joint air defense system with Russia by December 1, 2026, and from the CSTO within one year. "To conclude a new comprehensive cooperation agreement with the Russian Federation, canceling the contracts concluded after independence that correspond to the current situation. To leave the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), ensuring a smooth economic transition by 2031," the Republican Party's program states.
Armenia's reduction of activity in organizations such as the CIS is also a political message directed at the domestic audience. The authorities are trying to show that the country no longer intends to pursue a policy dependent on Russia as before and is choosing a more "independent" line.
This démarche is not an announcement of Armenia's withdrawal from the CIS but can be considered the next signal in that direction. Recall that Moldova, which seeks to join the European Union, has already formalized its withdrawal from the CIS./Musavat.com