News - Kremlin: One can only regret Armenia PM's declining from participating in CSTO summit

Commenting on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's declining from attending the upcoming CSTO summit, Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian president, said that if this is the case, one can only express regret, RIA Novosti reported. Earlier, Pashinyan stated, in a telephonic conversation with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, that he will not be participating in the CSTO summit to be held in Belarusian capital Minsk on November 23. "If it is really so, then one can only express regret. We understand that any head of government or state can have his events according to his work schedule, his circumstances. But one can only regret because such meetings are a good opportunity to exchange views, clarify positions," Peskov told reporters, when asked of how the Kremlin views Pashinyan's aforesaid decision and how they assess the chances of Armenia leaving the CSTO. Peskov emphasized that the CSTO "maintains its relevance anyway". "And the meetings that are organized and implemented within the framework of the CSTO testify to that—at least the demand by the participants for that format of interaction in the relevant domains," added the press secretary of the Russian president.