RSC Director Richard Giragosian was extensively quoted in a lengthy and insightful piece on the Russian-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) security “alliance” by Tom O'Connor for Newsweek published on 24 August and entitled, “Putin’s NATO-Style Alliance Faces Major Blow.”
In the Newsweek article, Giragosian noted that the CSTO “has proven to be an unreliable security provider” in the face of “attacks and incursions of Armenian sovereign territory by Azerbaijan,” adding that “although that crisis with Azerbaijan has largely been superseded by unprecedented progress in diplomatic negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Russian-dominated CSTO now stands out as a dead end for Armenian security.”
He also pointed out, however, that “the Armenian leadership is both prudent and cautious in not unnecessarily provoking an over-reaction from Russia.” Giragosian then explained that “Armenia is now engaged in a daunting effort to regain balance between its deepening of ties to the West and its reliance on Russia in terms of energy, economic and trade. At the same time, he argued that Armenia’s ‘diversification’ policy, which is driven by the need for garnering a broader group of security partners, is working”…..and “has been successful because it is avoiding being trapped within the confines of a zero-sum confrontation between Russia and the West.”
https://www.newsweek.com/putins-nato-style-alliance-faces-major-blow-12359374