Putin meets with Pashinyan after Armenian premier refuses to sign CSTO declaration

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Wednesday with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Yerevan.
The meeting between the two leaders came after Pashinyan refused to sign a draft declaration of the CSTO summit.

During his meeting with Putin, Pashinyan said that many decisions were made at a session of the CSTO Collective Security Council but they could not agree on some issues.

Earlier in the day, Pashinyan told the leaders of the CSTO member states that he would not sign a draft declaration by the group.

He said that this was due to the absence in the declaration of a political assessment of Azerbaijan's "aggression" against the territorial integrity of Armenia.

He further said that he touched on issues related to the implementation of the tripartite agreement that was signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan under Russian patronage during the session of the CSTO council.

"These are very important issues. We should consult on issues that will ensure long-term peace in the region," he added.