CSTO has necessary measures to prevent new escalation around Nagorno Karabakh – Armenian PM
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan participated in the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council in Bishkek on November 28. The session was attended by the leaders of the CSTO member states – Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The narrow format session of the leaders was followed by an extended format session with the participation of the delegations.
The members of the Collective Security Council discussed issues relating to the international and regional security, mutual cooperation between the CSTO member states within the organization and at the international arena.
In his remarks PM Pashinyan said Armenia will continue contributing to further raising the CSTO efficiency and international reputation. The PM said he sees a great potential for the development of cooperation between the member states and stated that one of the current directions is the development of cooperation in the field of high technologies, which was mentioned during the 17th session of the inter-state commission on military-economic cooperation held in Armenia in September.
“I am happy that we managed to come to an agreement over the appointment of the new CSTO Secretary General. I am convinced that Stanislav Zas’ experience will be important in this responsible position”, the Armenian PM said.
Thereafter, he touched upon the security situation in Armenia and the whole region, talked about the settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Pashinyan expressed confidence that the militaristic tendencies absolutely do not have any prospects, adding that there is no alternative to the peaceful negotiations and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. The PM said the stance of the Azerbaijani leadership is dangerous not only for the security of the South Caucasus, but also that of the CSTO states. “I think that a new escalation will bring devastating consequences not only in the South Caucasian region, but also outside of it. Being in a war situation Azerbaijan can become a convenient springboard for the Islamic extremists, who are searching for new territories for their operations after losing the influence in Syria. Moreover, from geopolitical terms Azerbaijan is a very convenient platform through which the extremists can carry out their operations at all directions, in south, north, west and east”, the Armenian PM added.
However, Nikol Pashinyan noted that CSTO has all the necessary measures to prevent a new escalation over Nagorno Karabakh. According to him, in order to prevent the possible escalation the CSTO states, based on the interests of preserving security, should leave Azerbaijan’s applications on acquiring new weapons without a response. “We are honest in our aspiration to peace and are ready for a constructive dialogue over the peaceful settlement of the conflict based on the concept that I presented. We will continue the negotiations within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the only negotiation format accepted internationally, to which the CSTO has repeatedly expressed its support. In this respect I want to specifically thank the Russian co-chairmanship of the Minsk Group”, he said.
The Armenian PM also touched upon the situation in Syria and attached importance to the strengthening of peace and stability in the country. “The events taking place in that country are extremely concerning. Armenia condemned the recent Turkish military invasion to Syria’s north-east which creates a direct threat to the ethnic Armenian population living there. The national and religious minorities are becoming the main targets of terrorists and their sponsors. We all were shocked from the murder of an Armenian priest and his father in Qamishli.
The real reasons for violently entering into the territory of a neighboring sovereign state are clear and have nothing in common with the matters announced by Turkey. The violation of the principles of international law by Turkey is unacceptable and should definitely be condemned by the international community.
Armenia supports Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We will continue providing all possible humanitarian aid to the good people of Syria as it’s very vital for them today”, the Prime Minister said.
Pashinyan highlighted that in today’s changing world it’s important for the allies to unite efforts to resist the emerging challenges. “The mutual commitments assumed within the CSTO should definitely be respected, and the relations between the member states should be a priority. We see our collective power in this, and this is the development precondition of our organization”, he added.
Pashinyan wished success to Russia on its 2020 chairmanship at the CSTO, adding that Armenia supports the implementation of priorities within this chairmanship.
Based on the session results the CSTO heads of state approved a number of documents.
The session participants also discussed the current military-political situation in the CSTO collective security regions.
