The “doors” of the CSTO must be open to everyone, including Azerbaijan. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told this to Izvestia, when asked to assess the prospects of expanding the EEU and CSTO members in the context of Azerbaijan's integration into these organizations.

"The only thing that can restrict the [respective] membership are certain provisions of the organization, according to which the existence of diplomatic relations between its members is necessary for membership in the CSTO. There are no such relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia yet. When they are, we hope that it will happen sooner or later, and then the matter can enter the practical sphere in one way or another," Rudenko said.