Putin says CSTO continues 'mercenary' campaign; Armenia not attending meeting

"Cooperation between intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies has been steadily strengthened. In particular, the CSTO's "Mercenaries" operation continues to control recruitment and close the paths for citizens of our countries to participate in the activities of international terrorist groups," President Putin said at the CSTO summit in the Belarusian capital Minsk on November 23, according to RT.

President Putin also noted that the CSTO has focused on measures to "combat extremism, transnational crime, illegal migration and drug trafficking", as well as controlling the activities of various extremist groups.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Minsk, Belarus on November 23.

In addition, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who chaired the CSTO summit, added: "Our organization remains an essential factor in ensuring the security of its member states and the Eurasian region as a whole."

Founded in the early 2000s, the CSTO brings together six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. This year, the alliance launched Operation Mercenary, led by Belarus, to seek to strengthen the security of its member states, according to RT.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on November 23 that the Kremlin regretted the absence of Armenia's representative at the CSTO summit, according to TASS news agency. Mr. Peskov noted that the agenda of the CSTO conference in Minsk included the "so-called Armenian element" and exchanged views on this issue. There is currently no information about Armenia's reaction.

The CSTO summit in Minsk comes amid deteriorating relations between the CSTO and Armenia, according to TASS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan previously accused the CSTO of failing to support Armenia during clashes with Azerbaijan in May 2021 and September 2022.

Prime Minister Pashinya informed President Lukashenko that he did not intend to go to Minsk. The heads of the Armenian Foreign and Defense Ministries also did not attend CSTO events ahead of the summit. Earlier, Armenia recalled its ambassador to the CSTO and did not appoint a new one, but Armenia said that it would not withdraw from the CSTO, according to TASS.

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