A pro-Western opposition alliance calling for Armenia’s exit from a Moscow-led defense bloc staged a protest in Yerevan ahead of the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to be also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, writes azatutyun.am.

The National-Democratic Pole (NDP), which consists of a number of political parties and fringe groups espousing mostly nationalist views, vowed to hold more protests on November 23 when leaders of the CSTO are to meet in Yerevan.

Participants of tonight’s action chanted anti-Russian slogans as they marched through the central streets of Yerevan. They charged that neither Russia, nor other members of the CSTO, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, came to Armenia’s aid during and after deadly border clashes with Azerbaijan in September, which Yerevan says stemmed from Baku’s aggression and resulted in the occupation of dozens of square meters of sovereign Armenian territory.

Activists and supporters of the NDP, which is not represented in the Armenian parliament, branded both the CSTO and Russia as enemies of Armenia.